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Glossary – Texas Instruments 3000 WinSX User Manual

Page 191

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Glossary

backlight - A feature that allows you to control background brightness for better
readability.

backing up - Duplicating a program or file onto a separate storage medium so that a copy
will be preserved against possible loss or damage to the original.

backup - A duplicate copy of information or programs, usually stored on a diskette and
kept in a separate location in case the original is lost or damaged.

BASIC - An acronym for Beginner's AR-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code; a
programming language widely used because many of its commands resemble everyday
language.

battery, battery pack - An electrical power storage device that can be installed in, or
affixed to, your computer to provide electrical power.

baud - A signal element change per second. If a signal element change has only one bit,
baud equals bits per second.

binary - A system of numbering that uses patterns of only zero's and one's. Each item of
information, whether a letter, graphic symbol, or an instruction, is converted to a binary
number before it is processed by your computer.

BIOS - An acronym for Basic Input-Output System; instructions stored in read-only
memory (Rom) at the factory that check hardware components and load the computer
operating system (MS-DOS, for example) into the computer when you boot it.

bit - A binary digit (0 or 1); the smallest unit of information used by your computer.

bits per second - The speed at which your computer receives or sends data to a device
such as a modem or serial printer.

2 Glossary