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`Webster’s NeWWorldD1ct1onary of ComputerTerms
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`8th Edition
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`Copyright © 2000 by
`IDG Books WorldWide, Inc
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`Library of Congress CatalogNumber-98‘68‘I‘89‘
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`ISBN. 0-02—8637771
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`biological feedback device A device that translates eye
`movements, body movements, and even brain waves into com— ,
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`' puter input ‘ ‘ ‘ '
`biometric authentication A method of authentication that
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`requires a biological scan of some sort, such as a retinal scan or .,
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`VOlC€ recognition
`BIOS Acronym for Basic Input—Output SystemAset of
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`programs encodedin read—only memory (ROM)1n IBM
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`PC~compatible computers These programs handle startup oper—:
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`ations such as the Power-On Self—Test (POST) and low—level
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`control for hardware, such as disk drives, keyboard, and monitor
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`Popular brands of BIOS chips on motherboards sold today
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`include Phoenix Technologies and Merican Megatrends, Inc.‘
`Some system components have their own BIOS chip, whose ‘
`instructions are also read into the PC5 memory at startup.The
`BIOS on a hard disk controller,er example,stores a table Of
`tracks and sectors on the drive
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`B—ISDNSee Broadband ISDN.
`1 bit The baSic unit of information1n a binary numbering
`system (BInary digiT). The electronic circuitry in computers
`detects the difference between two states (high current and low‘
`current) and represent these states as one of the two numbersin
`a binary system: 1 or 0 These basic high/low e1ther/or yes/no 1"
`units of information are called bits. Becausebuilding a reliable
`_ circuit that tells the difference between a 1 and a 015 easy and
`inexpensive, computers are accurate in their internal processing
`' capabilities, typically makingfewer than one internal error in
`"every 100 billion processing operatlons Eightbitscomprise ‘
`1 byte, or octet
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`* bit depth In a scanner, the length (expressedin bitS) of the
`storage unit used to store information about the scanned1mage
`, The greater the bit depth, the better the scanner’s resolution. " ‘
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`i A common bitdepthfora home—quality scannerisSO bi
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`bit length In encryption, the length (expressedin bits) ofthe
`key used to encode and decode the text data. The greaterthe bit
`length, the stronger (less breakable) the encrypt1on ,'
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`bitmap The representation Of a videoimage stored1n a com— ,
`puter’s memory as a set of bits. Each picture element (pixel),ix'
`, corresponding to a tiny dot onscreen, is controlled by an on or
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