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byte: A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the smallest usable unit in
memory. Each byte is large enough to represent an integer up to
255 (that's a decimal number, in binary it's 11111111), or a char-
acter (such as a letter, numeral, or other symbol). See also binary,
bit, kilobyte, megabyte.
C
cache: A portion of memory in which frequently used information is
duplicated for quick access. Accessing information from a cache
is faster than accessing it from RAM.
capacity: The amount of information that can be stored in a com-
puter's memory or on a storage device such as a hard disk, dis-
kette, or CD-ROM. Capacity is usually measured in terms of
kilobytes or megabytes (MB). See also kilobyte, megabyte.
card: See board.
CD-ROM: Compact Disk Read Only Memory. A high-capacity
(approximately 600MB) storage medium that uses laser optics
rather than magnetic means for reading data. The system can read
data from these disks, but cannot write data to the disks.
central processing unit (CPU): The chips where all the computing
takes place. It is often referred to as the "brain" of the computer.
The CPU takes information from outside sources, such as memory
or keyboard input, processes it and sends the results to another out-
side device, such as the display.
character: Any letter, number or symbol you can use on the computer.
Some characters are non-printing characters, such as a paragraph
break in a word processing program.
chip: A small piece of silicon containing circuits for processing, mem-
ory and/or other computer functions. Chips are connected to
printed circuit boards.
choose: To use the pointing device or keyboard to select a command.
The command may take a form such as a menu item, a button or
an icon.
COM1, COM2, COM3 and COM4: Names MS-DOS gives the com-
puter's serial ports to distinguish between them.
Part III: Appendixes
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