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`Microsoft"
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`l '.
`* Fully updated with the latest
`technologies, terms, and acronyms-,9 .
`
`Cpmwter
`Iarlctlony
`Fifth Ed itio .\
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`- Easy to read, expertly illustrated
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`' Definitive coverage of hardware,
`software, the lnterhet, and more!
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`Microsoft·
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`Microsoft®
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`om u er
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`1c 1onar
`Fifth Edition
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`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
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`Copyright © 2002 by Microsoft Corporation
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`Body Part No. XOS-41929
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`

`

`device
`
`Dhrystone
`
`including the following stages: analysis, design and proto-
`typing, software coding and testing, and implementation.
`
`interrupts, base addresses, and serial communication
`parameters.
`
`device n. A generic term for a computer subsystem.
`Printers, serial ports, and disk drives are often referred to
`as devices; such subsystems frequently require their own
`controlling software, called device drivers. See also
`device driver.
`
`device address 11. A location within the address space of
`a computer’s random access memory (RAM) that can be
`altered either by the microprocessor or by an external
`device. Device addresses are different from other locations
`
`in RAM, which can be altered only by the microprocessor.
`See also device, input/output, RAM.
`device control character It. See control character.
`
`device controller n. See input/output controller.
`
`device dependence n. The requirement that a particular
`device be present or available for the use of a program,
`interface, or protocol. Device dependence in a program is
`often considered unfortunate because the program either is
`limited to one system or requires adjustments for every
`other type of system on which it is to run. Compare device
`independence.
`
`device driver 11. A software component that permits a
`computer system to communicate with a device. In most
`cases, the driver also manipulates the hardware in order to
`transmit the data to the device. However, device drivers
`associated with application packages typically perform only
`:he data translation; these higher-level drivers then rely on
`Iower—level drivers to actually send the data to the device.
`Many devices, especially video adapters on PC-compatible
`computers, will not work properly—«if at all—without the
`:orrect device drivers installed in the system.
`
`Device Driver Developer Kit n. See DDK.
`Device Driver Kit n. See DDK.
`
`device independence n. A characteristic of a program,
`Interface, or protocol that supports software operations that
`goduce similar'results on a wide variety of hardware. For
`example, the PostScript language is a device-independent
`page description language because programs issuing Post-
`Script drawing and text commands need not be customized
`fer each potential printer. Compare device dependence.
`
`device-independent bitmap n. See DIB.
`
`device manager n. A software utility that allows viewing
`md changing hardware configuration settings, such as
`
`Device Manager n. In Windows 95, a function within the
`System Properties utility that indicates device conflicts
`and other problems and allows a user to change the prop-
`erties of the computer and each device attached to it. See
`also property, property sheet.
`
`device name n. The label by which a computer system
`component is identified by the operating system. MS-
`DOS, for example, uses the device name COMl to iden-
`tify the first serial communications port.
`
`device partnership n. A registry key, stored on the Win-
`dows CE device, that a desktop computer uses to identify
`that Windows CE device when it is connected to the desk-
`
`top. The key defines values for synchronization, file con-
`versions, and backup and restore information, which
`enable multiple Windows CE devices to connect to the
`same desktop computer. A device partnership is created
`the first time you connect a Windows CE device to a desk-
`top computer.
`
`device resolution n. See resolution (definition 1).
`
`DFP n. See digital flat panel port.
`
`DFS It. See distributed file system.
`i DGIS n. Acronym for Direct Graphics Interface Specifi-
`cation. An interface developed by Graphics Software Sys—
`tems. D618 is firmware (generally implemented in ROM
`on a video adapter) that allows a program to display
`graphics on a video display through an extension to the
`IBM BIOS Interrupt 10H interface.
`
`DHCP n. Acronym for Dynamic Host Configuration Pro-
`tocol. A TCP/IP protocol that enables a network con-
`nected to the Internet to assign a temporary IP address to a
`host automatically when the host connects to the network.
`See also IP address, TCP/IP. Compare dynamic SLIP.
`
`Dhrystone n. A general-performance benchmarking test,
`originally developed by Rheinhold Weickcr in 1984 to mea—
`sure and compare computer performance. The test reports
`general system performance in dhrystones per second. It is
`intended to replace the older and less reliable Whetstone
`benchmark. The Dhrystone benchmark, like most bench-
`marks, consists of standard code revised periodically to
`minimize unfair advantages to certain combinations of
`hardware, compiler, and environment. Dhrystone concen—
`trates on string handling and uses no floating-point opera-
`tions. Like most benchmarking tests, it is heavily
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