Operating instructions

GLOSSARY 51
Passport / Mike Meyers‘ A+ Certification Passport / Meyers / 226308-3 / Glossary
PCL A printer control language created by Hewlett-Packard and used on a
broad cross-section of printers.
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Acon
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sortium of computer manufacturers who devised the PC Card standard for credit
card–sized adapter cards that add functionality in many notebook computers,
PDAs, and other computer devices.
PDA (personal digital assistant) A handheld computer that blurs the line be
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tween the calculator and computer. Early PDAs were calculators that enabled
the user to program in such information as addresses and appointments. Mod
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ern PDAs, such as the Palm and PocketPC, are fully programmable computers.
Most PDAs use a pen/stylus for input rather than a keyboard. A few of the larger
PDAs have a tiny keyboard in addition to the stylus.
peer-to-peer network A network in which each machine can act as both a cli-
ent and a server.
Pentium Name given to the fifth and later generations of Intel microproces-
sors; has a 32-bit address bus, 64-bit external data bus, and dual pipelining. Also
used for subsequent generations of Intel processors—the Pentium Pro, Pentium
II, Pentium III, and Pentium 4. The Pentium name was retired after the intro-
duction of the Intel Core CPUs.
peripheral Any device that connects to the system unit.
PGA (pin grid array) A popular CPU package where a CPU is packaged in a
ceramic material and a large number of pins extend from the bottom of the
package. There are many variations on PGA.
Phoenix Technologies Major producer of BIOS software for motherboards.
phosphor An electro-fluorescent material used to coat the inside face of a
cathode ray tube (CRT). After being hit with an electron, it glows for a fraction
of a second.
photo CD A compressed image format developed by Kodak that allows for
many photos to be stored on a single CD-ROM.
photosensitive drum An aluminum cylinder coated with particles of photo
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sensitive compounds that is used in a laser printer. The photosensitive drum is
usually contained within the toner cartridge.
P:\010Comp\Passport\308-3\gloss.vp
Monday, April 09, 2007 10:24:46 PM
Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile
Composite Default screen