Texas Instruments TravelMate 4000M User Reference Manual page 276

Glossary
Glossary
backlight — A feature that allows you to control
background brightness for better readability.
backing up — Duplicating a program or file onto a separate
storage medium so that a copy will be preserved against
possible loss or damage to the original.
backup — A duplicate copy of information or programs;
usually stored on a diskette and kept in a separate location
in case the original is lost or damaged.
BASIC — An acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic
Instruction Code; a programming language widely used
because many of its commands resemble everyday
language.
battery, battery pack — An electrical power storage device
that can be installed in, or affixed to, your computer to
provide electrical power.
baud — A signal element change per second. If a signal
element change has only one bit, baud equals bits per
second.
binary — A system of numbering that uses patterns of only
zero's and one's. Each item of information, whether a letter,
graphic symbol, or an instruction, is converted to a binary
number before it is processed by your computer.
BIOS — An acronym for Basic Input-Output System;
instructions stored in read-only memory ( ) at the
ROM
factory that check hardware components and load the
computer operating system ( , for example) into the
MS-DOS
computer when you boot it.
bit — A binary digit (0 or 1); the smallest unit of
information used by your computer.
2 Glossary