| A | B |
|---|
| 3-D RAM | Was designed to improve performance of video processing, including simulation of 3-D graphics. |
| Active Matrix | More expensive type of LCD panel. Pixel quality is enhanced by a transistor that amplifies the signal and is at every intersection in the grid. |
| Bandwidth | Difference between highest and lowest frequencies |
| Bus Mouse | Mouse that is used when a mouse bus card provides a round mouse port |
| Chip Creep | When a chip becomes loose because of thermal changes. |
| DCE (Data Communications Equipment | When system is using serial ports, this device is used to communicated with the DTE. |
| Dot Pitch | The distance between the spots, or dots, on the screen that the electronic beam hits. |
| DTE (Data Terminal Equipment | Serves as a base when a system is using serial ports. |
| Dual-Scan Passive Matrix | The less expensive of the LCD panels. Two columns of electrodes are activated at the same time. Provides a lower quality image. |
| ECP (Extended Capabilities Port) | Bi-directional, was designed to increase speed over EPP by the use of a DMA Channel. |
| EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) | Bi-directional, not as fast as the ECP. |
| FireWire | Common name for IEEE 1394 |
| Flat panel Monitor | LCD monitor for desktops. |
| Graphics Accelerator | A type of video card that has its own processor to boost performance. |
| Hot-Pluggable | Can plug a device into a port without shutting down computer. |
| Hot-Swappable | Device can be switched or added without shutting down computer. |
| Hub | A Device with multiple ports that is connected to a single port. |
| IEEE 1284 | Designed in the early 90's as the standard for parallel ports. Required backward compatibility. ECP, and EPP are covered under this standard. |
| IEEE 1394 | Similar to the design for USB, Uses serial transmission of data. Supports speeds up to 1.2 Gbps. Likely to replace SCSI. |
| IEEE 1394.3 | New standard designed for peer-to-peer data transmission. |
| I.Link | Another name for IEEE 1394 |
| Interlaced | Draw a screen by making two passes. Buy an interlaced monitor if you plan on staring at a screen for long periods of time. |
| I/O Controller Card | Supplies serial and parallel ports. |
| Isochronous data transfer | Data is transferred continuously without breaks, used by Firewire. |
| Modem eliminator | Another name for null modem cable. |
| motherboard mouse | A mouse that is connected into a port directly off the motherboard. |
| multiscan monitor | Offers a variety of vertical and horizontal refresh rates. Can support many video cards. |
| Noninterlaced | Draw the entire screen on each pass. Do not buy if you plan to spend long hours staring at the monitor. |
| Null modem cable | Not a standard serial cable, but is used to transmit data between two DTE devices without need for a modem. |
| PCI (Peripheral component interconnect) Bus | The standard local I/O bus. Can either be a 32-bit or 64-bit data path. Devices connected to it can run at one speed, while the computer runs at another. |
| Pixel | An addressable location on the screen. Composed of several triads. |
| PS/2-compatible mouse | A dedicated round mouse. |
| refresh rate | Also known as Vertical Scan Rate, number of times in one second and electronic beam can fill the screen with lines from top to bottom. |
| resolution | A measure of how many spots on the screen are addressable by software. |
| serial mouse | When a mouse is connected through a serial port. |
| SGRAM (Synchronous Graphics Ram) | Can synchronize itself with the CPU bus clock, making the memory faster. Not dual-ported memory. |
| UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) | The brain on the motherboard that controls the serial ports on the board. |
| USB Host Controller | Manages the USB bus on a motherboard. |
| VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) VL Bus | Endorsed by many manufacturers several years ago in an attempt to create a standard for local 32-bit buses. |
| VRAM (Video RAM) | Designed so that video memory can be accessed by both the input and output processes at the same time. It is a type of dual-ported memory. |
| WRAM (Window RAM) | Dual-ported RAM, faster and less-expensive than VRAM. Known for its ability to manage full-motion video. |
