clock
As related to the year 2000 issue, an independent
timekeeping circuit (called the Real Time Clock or RTC) used
within a microcomputer to keep track of the time and calendar
date. A clock/calendar circuit is battery powered, so it
continues running even when the computer is turned off. The
time and date kept by the clock/calendar can be used by the
operating system (for example, to "stamp" files with the date
and time of creation or revision) and by application programs
(for example, to insert the date or time in a document) via
calls to the BIOS. Not to be confused with the computer's
system clock, one of the prime determinants of the overall
processing speed.
CMOS
As related to the year 2000 issue, the battery-backed
memory used to store parameter values needed to boot
microcomputers. These stored parameters include information
about the type of disk drives, the amount of memory, and the
clock/calendar time.
CMOS
setup
A system configuration utility,
accessible at boot time, for setting up certain system
options, such as the date and time, the kind of drives
installed, the amount of memory and port configuration.
code
Program instructions written by a programmer in a
programming language.
cold
boot
Starting the computer after the computer's
power has been turned off. Typically, a cold boot involves
some basic hardware checking by the system, after which the
operating system is loaded into memory.
compatibility
The degree to which a
computer, an attached device, a data file, or a program can
work with or understand the same commands, formats or language
as another. Compatibility between two computers indicates
whether, and to what degree, the computers can communicate,
share data, or run the same programs. Software compatibility
also refers to the extent to which programs can work together
and share data.
compressed
file
A file whose contents have been compressed
by a special utility program so that it occupies less space on
a disk or other storage device than in its decompressed
(normal) state.
configuration
In reference to a
single microcomputer, the sum of a system's internal and
external components, including memory, disk drives, keyboard,
video, and generally less critical add-on hardware, such as a
mouse, modem, or printer. Configuration also refers to
software: the operating system and various device drivers, the
user's choices established through configuration files and any
hardware settings that were made.
control
panel
In Windows and Macintosh systems, a
utility that allows the user to control aspects of the
operating system or hardware, such as time and date, keyboard
characteristics and networking parameters.
cosmetic
dates
Refers to two-digit-year dates that are
seen only by human eyes, and are neither read nor further
processed by the computer in subsequent calculations.
