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Operating system
A collection of programs that manage a computer's operations,
such as interpreting input, managing files, and reading and
writing data to disk. The operating system (such as MS-DOS,
OS/ 2, or UNIX) provides the foundation for the other
programs and controls hardware resources.
Option card
A circuit board you can install inside the computer to provide
additional capabilities, such as a modem or an additional I/ O
port. Option cards plug directly into option slots so you do not
have to alter a computer's circuitry to enhance your system.
OS/2
Operating System/ 2. The operating system developed jointly
by Microsoft and IBM that provides protected mode processing
and multitasking capabilities. See also DOS, MS-DOS, and
Operating system.
Parallel
An interface that transmits data simultaneously over separate
wires in a cable. See also Interface and Serial.
Pentium
Intel processor designation. Pentium-class processors have a
64-bit data bus and a 32-bit address bus. These chips also have
two 8KB caches and a numeric coprocessor built into the chip
and can execute instructions in parallel. See also DX and SX.
Port
A physical socket on a computer to which you can connect a
peripheral device.
8 G l o s s a r y
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