IBM 5150 Technical Reference page 292

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sector. That part of a track or band on a magnetic drum, a
magnetic disk, or a disk pack that can be accessed by the
magnetic heads in the course of a predetermined rotational
displacement of the particular device.
SERDES. Serializer/deserializer.
serial. (1) Pertaining to the sequential performance of two or
more activities in a single device. In English, the modifiers serial
and parallel usually refer to devices, as opposed to sequential and
consecutive, which refer to processes. (2) Pertaining to the
sequential or consecutive occurrence of two or more related
activities in a single device or channel. (3) Pertaining to the
sequential processing of the individual parts of a whole, such as
the bits of a character or the characters of a word, using the same
facilities for successive parts. (4) Contrast with parallel.
serializer/deserializer (SERDES). A device that serializes output
from, and deserializes input to, a business machine.
setup. (1) In a computer that consists of an assembly of
individual computing units, the arrangement of interconnections
between the units, and the adjustments needed for the computer
to operate. (2) The preparation of a computing system to
perform a job or job step. Setup is usually performed by an
operator and often involves performing routine functions, such as
mounting tape reels. (3) The preparation of the system for
normal operation.
short circuit. A low-resistance path through which current flows,
rather than through a component or circuit.
signal. A variation of a physical quantity, used to convey data.
sink. A device or circuit into which current drains.
software. (1) Computer programs, procedures, and rules
concerned with the operation of a data processing system. (2)
Contrast with hardware.
source. The origin of a signal or electrical energy.
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