User's Manual

234 Glossary
state
Refers to the condition of an object that can have more than one condition. For
example, an object may be in the “not ready” state.
status
Refers to the health or functioning of an object. For example, a temperature probe
can have the status normal if the probe is measuring acceptable temperatures. When
the probe begins reading temperatures that exceed limits set by the user, it reports
a critical status.
SVGA
Abbreviation for super video graphics array. VGA and SVGA are video standards
for video adapters with greater resolution and color display capabilities than
previous standards.
To display a program at a specific resolution, you must install the appropriate
video drivers and your monitor must support the resolution. Similarly, the number
of colors that a program can display depends on the capabilities of the monitor,
the video driver, and the amount of video memory installed in the computer.
switch
On a computer system board, switches control various circuits or functions in
your computer system. These switches are known as
DIP switches ; they are
normally packaged in groups of two or more switches in a plastic case. Two
common DIP switches are used on system boards:
slide switches and rocker
switches. The names of the switches are based on how the settings (on and off) of
the switches are changed.
syntax
The rules that dictate how you must type a command or instruction so that the
computer understands it. A variable's syntax indicates its data type.
system board
As the main circuit board, the system board usually contains most of your
computer's integral components, such as the following:
• Microprocessor
•RAM
• Controllers for standard peripheral devices, such as the keyboard
• Various ROM chips
Frequently used synonyms for system board are motherboard and logic board .