Operating instructions

jack (physical connection) The part of a connector into which a plug is
inserted. Jacks are also referred to as ports.
Joliet An extension of the ISO 9660 format. The most popular CD format to
support PC file systems on CD media.
joystick A peripheral often used while playing computer games; originally
intended as a multipurpose input device.
jumper A pair of small pins that can be shorted with a “shunt” to configure
many different aspects of PCs. Usually used in configurations that are rarely
changed, such as master/slave settings on IDE drives.
K Most commonly used as the suffix for the binary quantity 1024 (2
10
). Just to
add some extra confusion to the IT industry, K is often spoken as “kilo,”the met
-
ric value for 1000. 10 KB, for example, spoken as “10 kilobytes,” actually means
10,240 bytes rather than 10,000 bytes.
Kbps (kilobits per second) Data transfer rate.
kernel The core portion of the program that resides in memory and performs
the most essential operating system tasks.
keyboard An input device. There are two common types of keyboards—
those that use a mini-DIN (PS/2) connection and those that use a USB con-
nection.
KHz (kilohertz) A unit of measure that equals a frequency of one thousand
cycles per second.
Knowledge Base A large collection of documents and FAQs that is main
-
tained by Microsoft. Found on Microsoft’s Web site, the Knowledge Base is an
excellent place to search for assistance on most operating system problems.
LAN (local area network) A group of PCs connected together via cabling,
radio, or infrared that use this connectivity to share resources such as printers
and mass storage.
laser A single-wavelength, in-phase light source that is sometimes strapped
to the head of sharks by bad guys. Note to henchmen: lasers should never be
used with sea bass, no matter how ill-tempered they might be.
38 MIKE MEYERS’ A+ CERTIFICATION PASSPORT
Passport / Mike Meyers‘ A+ Certification Passport / Meyers / 226308-3 / Glossary
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