Toshiba Satellite 2650 - Manual (Page 200)

10 Glossary User's Manual
Satellite 2610/2650 User's Manual – GLOSSARY.DOC – ENGLISH – Printed on 18/09/99 as GL_261UK
N
non-system disk: A formatted diskette (floppy disk) you can use to store
programs and data but you cannot use to start the computer.
See
system disk.
non-volatile memory: Memory, usually read-only (ROM), that is
capable of permanently storing information. Turning the
computer’s power off does not alter data stored in non-volatile
memory.
numeric keypad overlay: A feature that allows you to use certain keys
on the keyboard to perform numeric entry, or to control cursor
and page movement.
O
OCR: Optical Character Recognition (reader). A technique or device that
uses laser or visible light to identify characters and input them
into a storage device.
on-line state: A functional state of a peripheral device when it is ready
to receive or transmit data.
operating system: A group of programs that controls the basic
operation of a computer. Operating system functions include
interpreting programs, creating data files, and controlling the
transmission and receipt (input/output) of data to and from
memory and peripheral devices.
output: The results of a computer operation. Output commonly indicates
data 1) printed on paper, 2) displayed at a terminal, 3) sent
through the serial port of internal modem, or 4) stored on some
magnetic media.
P
parallel interface: Refers to a type of information exchange that
transmits information one byte (8 bits) at a time.
See also serial
interface.
parallel: Refers to two or more processes or events that can occur
simultaneously, and without interfering with each other.
See also
serial.
parity: 1) The symmetrical relationship between two parameter values
(integers) both of which are either on or off; odd or even; 0 or 1.
2) In serial communications, an error detection bit that is added
to a group of data bits making the sum of the bits even or odd.
Parity can be set to none, odd, or even.
password: A unique string of characters used to identify a specific user.
The computer provides various levels of password protection such
as user, supervisor and eject.