`
`The Ultimate Computer Reference
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`The Comprehensive Standard for
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`Microsoft Press
`
`Computer
`Dictionary
`
`Third Edition
`
`
`
`MicresoftPress
`
`
`
`APPL-1020 / Page 2 of 5
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`

`

`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`A Division of Microsoft Corporation
`One Microsoft Way
`Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
`
`Copyright © 1997 by Microsoft Corporation
`All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproducedortransmitted
`in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary. -- 3rd ed.
`p.
`cm.
`ISBN 1-57231-446-X
`1. Computers--Dictionaries.
`I. Microsoft Press.
`QA76.15.M54_ 1997
`004'.03--de21
`
`2. Microcomputers--Dictionaries.
`
`Robert Lyon, Roslyn Lutsch APPL-1020 / Page 3 of 5
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`273456789 QMQM 210987
`Distributed to the book trade in Canada by Macmillan of Canada,a division of Canada Publishing
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`Printed and bound in the United States of America.
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`Technical Editors: Dail Magee Jr., Gary Nelson, Jean Ross, Jim Fuchs, John Conrow, Kurt Meyer,
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`APPL-1020 / Page 3 of 5
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`
`
`Contents
`
`Introduction
`Vv
`
`Dictionary
`of Computer Terms
`E
`
`ASCII Character Set
`
`S20
`
`IBM Extended Character Set
`
`B22.
`
`Apple Macintosh Extended Character Set
`2h
`
`|AppendixD|
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`EBCDIC Character Set
`
`.
`
`S28
`
`Numeric Equivalents
`Ske
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`such a card consists of conventional static RAM
`chips powered by a small battery andis designed
`to provide additional RAMtothe system. See also
`PC Card. Compare flash memory.
`p-code \P“kéd\ n. See pseudocode.
`PCT \P°C-T’\ #. Acronym for program compre-
`hension tool. A software engineering tool
`that
`facilitates the process of understanding the struc-
`ture and/orfunctionality of computer programs,
`-pcx \dot-P°C-X"\ n. Thefile extension that identi-
`fies bitmapped images in the PC Paintbrushfile
`format.
`IBM Personal
`PC/XT \P°C-X-T’\ . The original
`Computer,
`introduced in 1981, which used the
`Intel 8088 CPU. See also IBM PC.
`PC/XT keyboard \P°C-X-T° ké-b6rd\ n. The orig-
`inal keyboard for the IBM Personal Computer.
`Strong, reliable, and equipped with 83 keys, the
`PC/XT keyboard offers a typist an audibleclick,
`See the illustration. See also IBM PC, PC/XT.
`PDA \P°D-A‘\ #. Acronym for Personal Digital
`Assistant.
`A lightweight
`palmtop
`computer
`designed to provide specific functionslike personal
`organization (calendar, note taking, database, cal-
`culator, and so on) as well as communications.
`More advanced models also offer multimedia fea-
`tures. Many PDA devices rely on a pen or other
`pointing device for input instead of a keyboard or
`mouse, although some offer a keyboard too small
`for touch typing to use in conjunction with a pen
`or pointing device. For data storage, a PDArelies
`on flash memory instead of power-hungry disk
`drives. See also firmware,flash memory, PC Card,
`pen computer.
`PDC \P°D-C’\ n. See Primary Domain Controller.
`
`mn. See PC
`
`time, depending on the implementation, and it
`allows intelligent, PCI-compliant adapters to per-
`form tasks concurrently with the CPU using a tech-
`nique called bus mastering. The PCI specification
`allows for multiplexing, a technique that permits
`more than one electrical signal to be present on
`the bus at one time. See also local bus. Compare
`VL bus.
`PCL \P°C-L’\ m. See Printer Control Language.
`PCM \P°C-M’\ 7. See pulse code modulation.
`PCMCIA \P°C-M°C-I-A‘\ 7. Acronym for Personal
`Computer Memory Card International Association.
`A group of manufacturers and vendors formed to
`promote a commonstandard for PC Card-based
`peripherals and the slot designed to hold them,
`primarily on laptop, palmtop, and other portable
`computers, as well as for intelligent electronic
`devices. PCMCIAis also the nameofthe standard
`for PC Cards,first introduced in 1990 as release 1.
`See also PC Card, PCMCLAslot.
`PCMCIA card \P°C-M°C-I-A® kard™\
`card.
`PCMCIA connector \P°C-M°C-I-A’ ke-nek*tar\ 7.
`The 68-pin female connectorinside a PCMCLA slot
`designed to hold the 68-pin male connector on a
`PC Card. See also PC Card, PCMCLA slot.
`PCMCIA slot \P°C-M°C-I-A’ slot'\. #. An opening
`in the housing of a computer, peripheral, or other
`intelligent electronic device designed to hold a PC
`Card, Also called PC Card slot. See also PC Card,
`PCMCIA connector.
`PC memory card \P-C’ mem‘oar-é kard’\ ». 1. An
`add-in circuit card that increases the amount of
`RAMin a system. See also memory card. 2. A Type
`I PC Card as specified by PCMCIA. Inthis context,
`
`APPL-1020 / Page 5 of 5
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`PC/XT keyboard.
`
`BISEB
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