BARROE
`BU8TNES8
`GUIDES
`
`Dictionairy o
`Compiter aii
`nternet1ern
`
`Fitth Ettdon
`
`one than 1,800 key computer terms with detiuiioS
`ncludes hundreds ot words and expressions
`chat apply speeiically to the lnterner
`ser frieudly des criptions of programming concopt
`sktop and other applications, and uuch unore
`Filled with illustratkons
`
`Downing, Ph.D,, Micbael ovington, Pi. D., and
`Melode Msuldin ovington
`
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`f
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`Dictionary of
`Computer and
`Internet Terms
`
`Fifth Edition
`
`Douglas A. Dowining, Ph.D.
`School of Business and Economics
`Seattle Pacific University
`
`Michael A. Covington, Ph.D.
`Artificial Intelligence Center
`The University of Georgia
`
`Melody Mauldin Covington
`Graphic Designer
`Athens, Georgia
`
`BARRONS
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`Copyright 1996 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
`copyright 1995, 1992, 1989, and 1986
`Prior editions
`by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
`
`All rights reserved.
`No part of this book may be reproduced in any form. by photostat. microfilm.
`xerography. or any other means, or incorporated into any information
`retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission
`of the copyright owner.
`
`All inquiries should be addressed to:
`Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
`250 Wireless Boulevard
`Hauppauge, New York 11788
`
`Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 96-9250
`
`International Standard Book No. 0-8120-981-0
`
`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`
`Downing, Douglas.
`Dictionary of computer terms/ Douglas A. Downing, Michael
`Covington, Melody Mauldin Covington-5th ed.
`P.
`cm.
`Previouseds. published under title: Dictionary of computer terms.
`ISBN 0-8120-9811-0
`1. Computers-Dictionaries.
`2. Internet (Computer network)
`Dictionaries.
`I. Covington, Michael A., 1957-
`II. Covington,
`Melody Mauldin.
`III. Downing, Douglas. Dictionary of computer
`IV. Title.
`terms.
`QA76.15.D667
`004'.03-dc20
`
`1996
`
`96-9250
`CIP
`
`PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
`
`9876543
`
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`47
`
`BIT BUCKET
`
`Specifically, the BinHex file consists of one hex digit (0-9, A-F) for
`each four bits of data in the original file. Thus the BinHex file is about
`twice as long as the original. See STUFFIT; UUENCODE; UUDECODE;
`BINARY FILE; TEXT FILE.
`
`BIOS (Basic Input Output System) a set of procedures stored on a ROM
`chip inside IBM PC Ccompatible computers. These routines handle all
`input-output functions, including screen graphics, so that programs do
`not have to manipulate the hardware directly. This is important because
`if the hardware is changed (for example, by installing a newer kind of
`video adapter) the BIOS can be changed to match it, and there is no
`need to change the application programs.
`The BIOS is not re-entrant and is therefore not easily usable by
`multitasking programs. Windows and OS/2 programs do not call the
`BIOS; instead, they use procedures provided by the operating system.
`BIOS ENUMERATOR the BIOS routine that tellss a PLUG AND PLAY
`system what hardware is installed.
`BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR a semiconductor device formed by sand-
`wiching a thin layer of P- or N-type semiconductor between two layers
`of the opposite type of semiconductor. (See TRANSISTOR.) The other
`general type of transistor is the field effect transistor (FET).
`
`BIS Latin for "a second time," used to denote revised CCITT standards.
`See CCITT.
`
`BISYNC see BINARY SYNCHRONOUS.
`BIT a shorthand term for "binary digit." There are only two possible
`binary digits: 0 and 1. (See BINARY NUMBERS.) Bits are represented in
`mputers by twO-state devices, such as flip-fiops. A computer memory
`is a collection of devices that can store bits.
`A byte is the number of bits (usually 8) that stand for one character.
`Memory is usually measured in units of kilobytes or megabytes. See
`MEMORY.
`One important measure of the capability of a microprocessor is the
`number of bits that each internal register can contain. For example, the
`classic Z80 microprocessor had 8-bit registers. The Intel 8088, used in
`the original IBM PC, had 16-bit registers but only an 8-bit bus, leading
`to some confusion as to whether it should really have been called a l6-
`bit processor. Newer microprocessors have 32 or 64 bits per register. In
`general, a processor with a grealer number of bits per instruction can
`process data more quickly (although there are other factors to consider
`that also determine a compuler's speed). See also MICROPROCESSO.
`
`BIT BUCKET (slang) a place where data is lost. For example, under
`UNIX, the file name /dev/null can be used as a bit bucket; anything
`wrilten to it will be ignored, but the program will think it is successfully
`Writing to a file.
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