|
You can always search for entries (regexp permitted). |
|
|
|
| There are 226 entries in the glossary. |
| Pages: «1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 » |
| Overwrite | Replace a computer file such as a document or picture with a newer version, destroying the earlier version. If you make changes to a document and save it with the same filename, the previous version is overwritten and usually cannot be restored. |
| | |
| Palmtop | A small computer which fits into the palm of your hand. They run similar software to conventional PCs, but (unlike notebook PCs) are more limited in what they can do than desktop PCs, because of the constraints of miniaturisation. See PDA. |
| | |
| Parallel Port | A special socket for plugging a printer into a computer. The computer usually refers to the parallel port as LPT1. |
| | |
| Patch | A program which makes updates to computer software, usually to fix bugs which had not been detected when the software went on sale. The best place to look for a patch is on the software manufacturer\\\'s website. |
| | |
| PC | (Personal Computer) Originally just short for (personal computer), PC is now an industry standard, partly evolved in the marketplace, partly agreed by a committee of the major players in the computer industry. |
| | |
| PC 2005 (2004, 2003 etc) | An agreed standard for new PCs, set each year by a committee of the major players in the computer industry. |
| | |
| PCI | (Peripheral Component Interconnect) A standard for PC expansion cards, currently the most popular. A (PCI slot)is a socket on the motherboard for such cards. |
| | |
| PCI Express | A special type of PCI slot for the latest graphics cards, now beginning to supplant AGP. |
| | |
| PCMCIA | (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) A type of PC expansion card, the size of an ordinary credit card, mainly intended for use with notebooks. |
| | |
| PDA | (Personal Digital Assistant) A small hand-held computer used for taking notes on the move, keeping contact information and so on. See also palmtop. |
| | |
| PDF | (Portable Document Format) A popular document format, used mainly for online computer manuals, which retains the look of a printed book onscreen. PDFs are created using Adobe Acrobat, but can be read and displayed by many different programs including Internet Explorer. |
| | |
| Peer-to-peer | A type of network where computers are connected together directly, rather than via a server, allowing them to access each other\\\'s hard disk etc. |
| | |
| Pentium | The best known PC processor (or CPU), manufactured by Intel. |
| | |
| Peripheral | Anything that plugs into the computer, such as keyboard, printer etc. |
| | |
| Phishing | An internet scam in which a forged message from a bank provides a link for you to go to their website and (confirm your details) - but the website is a fake, and if you do enter your details they will be used to steal all your money. Note that a legitimate email from your bank should be addressed to you personally rather than (Dear customer) etc, and will never ask you to enter your PIN. |
| | |
| Pixel | (picture cell) All computer screen or printed images are made up of pixels, small square dots - the smaller the pixels, the higher the image quality. |
| | |
| Plasma | A type of very large screen, either TV or computer monitor. At present plasma screens aren\\\'t very suitable for computing because the images, although bright and colourful, aren\\\'t very sharp, especially when depicting motion. |
| | |
| Platform-independent | If something is platform-independent, you don\\\'t need a particular type of computer or particular software to use it. Perhaps the best example is the internet, which you can access from a PC, Mac or just about any other type of computer, and using a huge range of different software. |
| | |
| Plug\\\'n\\\'play | (Plug and Play) A system where Windows automatically detects any new hardware that is plugged into the PC and adjusts to it without human intervention. |
| | |
| POP3 | (Post Office Protocol version 3; pr. [pop 3]) A protocol for transmitting and receiving email, but mostly used just for receiving. (Transmitting is still mostly handled by it\\\'s less powerful predecessor, SMTP). |
| | |
|
