The s

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P6		Code name for the microprocessor from Intel^® that superceded the Pentium^® now known as the Pentium Pro.
p		Pico-. A trillionth.
packet		A discrete bundle of data sent over a network.
packet switching		When a network sends packets between stations by routes that may vary depending on which route is the best available at the time.
page		A block of memory of predetermined size, used in memory management schemes. Also one full screen image, stored in memory. Expanded memory switches pages of memory 64K at a time into locations below the DOS 640K limit as a way for DOS to have acces to more than 640K of memory. See bank switching
page printer		Any printer that prints a page at a time. Page printers store an entire page in their memory before printing it.
palette		In GUIs, a menu that stays visible and can be moved about on the screen. Also the choice of colors available on the screen.
palmtop		A portable computer small enough to hold in one hand while you enter data with the other. Too small for serious typing. Same as hand-held computer.
parallel		Side-by-side data transmission. In 8-bit parallel, all the bits in a byte arrive simultaneously. Compare serial.
parallel interface		The specification and hardware for parallel transmission of data. The Centronics parallel interface is popular for printing; SCSI is popular for other devices.
parallel port		The connector used for parallel transmission. Also the logical device LPT.
parallel printer		A printer that uses a parallel interface.
parameter		Literally, a boundary. Any command, setting, or circumstance whose effect is to define a limit. For example, on our highways, the speed limit and the rule to drive on the right side of the road are parameters. For another example, if you type the parameter *.doc after a "dir" command, the computer will list only files ending in ".doc".
parity		Literally, equivalence. A method of checking for errors in data transmission or recording by specifying some indicator (usually one or more bits) that indicates some kind of equivalence to the correctly transmitted data. See even parity, odd parity.
parity bit		The bit that is used in data transmission to indicate whether the data is correct. For example, a modem could transmit an extra bit (the parity bit) at the end of a byte of data-a 1 if the byte contained an even number of 1's and a 0 if it contained an odd number of 1µs. The receiving modem could count the number of 1µs in the byte. As long as the number of 1µs was odd (including that extra bit) it could assume the transmission was OK.
partition		A way of logically dividing a disk so that DOS treats the divisions as separate disks.
passive matrix display		Color LCD display that scans one line of pixels at a time. About half the cost of an active matrix display.
password		A secret string of characters used to gain access to anything that requires the password for access. Used to prevent unauthorized access to files, computer systems, or the information therein. Passwords do not appear on the screen when you type them.
patch		A modification to program code done somewhat more carefully than a hack, usually to fix a problem discovered after the software is complete.
path		A list of the names of the subdirectories between the root and the file in question. Any similar list of subdirectories.
pathname		The name of a file including its path. The name of each subdirectory is separated from the others by a backslash. For example:C:\DOS\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM
pause		A key or command that temporarily halts an operation (such as scrolling). When the pause is over (usually accomplished by repeating the command or keystroke), the operation resumes. Compare break.
payload		The activity carried out by a computer virus when it is activated by a triggering event. Depending on the virus, the payload may be as benign as putting a message on your screen or as destructive as erasing your hard disk or scrambling your data. See virus.
PC		Personal Computer. Any microcomputer, regardless of operating system or manufacturer, but used especially in reference to computers that run DOS. The name comes from the idea that the computer is self-contained, and normally used by one person, in contrast to large computers that had several terminals attached.
PCBench		PC Bench is the latest version of Ziff-Davis' standard benchmark for measuring the performance of PCs running DOS.
PCI		Peripheral Component Interface/Interconnect. A self-configuring personal computer local bus designed by Intel. It runs at 33MHz and is technically superior to the VESA local bus. Mostly used on Pentium based computers but will work with other architectures.
PCMCIA		Personal Computer Memory Card International Association is a standard for PC cards which was originally developed for the portable market. A PCMCIA card is the same size as a standard credit card that is inserted into a slot and is automatically configured at boot by drivers.
PD-CD Drive		Phase-change Dual Compact Disk Drive. A device that is both a writeable optical drive and a standard 4X CD-ROM drive. PD-CD drives, unlike magneto-optical devices, can write over data immediately instead of having to erasing it first.
PDL		Page Description Language. A computer language for describing what to print on a page to suitably equipped printers. PostScript and HPGL (Hewlett Packard Graphics Language) are PDLs.
peer		A station in a network with equal amount of access or control on the network as another station. Compare client, slave.
peer-to-peer network		A communications network that allows all workstations and computers in the network to act as servers to all other users on the network.
pen computer		A portable computer whose main input device is a stylus shaped like a pen used to write directly on the screen.
Pentium^®		Intel's successor to the 486 processor.
Pentium II		Intel's successor to the Pentium Pro processor, which combines the power of the Pentium Pro with the rich multimedia capabilities of MMX^TM technology.
Pentium Pro		Intel's successor to the Pentium processor. This processor has more cache designed into the chip, 5.5 million transistors (compared to the Pentium's 3.1 million), and is optimized for 32-bit applications.
performance enhanced memory		See EDO memory.
peripheral		Any device which is attached to or installed in the system unit. Examples include printers, modems, scanners, and CD-ROM drives.
Photo CD^®		Technology developed by Eastman Kodak that digitizes 35mm slides or negatives and placing the information on CD-ROM.
pico		One trillionth.
piggyback board		A daughterboard on an expansion card. See daughterboard.
pin		Any of the legs on a chip. Also Any of the wires projecting from a male connector.
pipe		A connection between two processes so that the output from one immediately becomes the input for the other. Indicated by the \| character.
pipeline burst cache		Secondary synchronous SRAM cache with speeds as fast as 9ns. It uses "burst" data transfers rather than a steady stream in order to take advantage of the faster bus cycles and CPU's available on today's systems. Data is moved through the SRAM core in an assembly line fashion -- as if going through a "pipe".
pirate		To make and distribute illegal copies of commercial software. Also a person who pirates software. Gateway 2000^® does not condone piracy.
pixel		Picture Element. The smallest spot on the screen that a computer can address.
platform		Refers to a specific combination of hardware, operating system, and/or other software, as in "This program has been tested on both Windows NT and UNIX platforms".
platter		The disk in a hard disk drive. Usually there are two to eight in a drive. They are made of aluminum and have a very thin magnetizable coating.
plotter		A printing device that draws its output with a pen directly on paper or film.
Plug and Play		A computer specification that allows components (modem, sound cards, network interface cards, etc.) to be added to a computer without manual configuration.
PMMU		Paged Memory Management Unit. Circuitry that swaps memory. This type of circuitry is built into many CPU chips.
POH		Powered On Hours. Usually used in reference to hard drive MTBF.
pointer		An image on the screen, usually an arrow, whose location is controlled by a mouse or other pointing device.
pointing device		Usually a mouse or trackball, used to control the movement of a pointer on the screen. Graphics tablets, lightpens, and joysticks are also pointing devices.
populate		To put chips into the sockets on a printed circuit board.
port		Any connection by which data can enter or leave a computer or peripheral. You plug cables into ports.
portable computer		Any computer with a handle, or small enough to be carried about. Frequently have design features appropriate for portability, such as battery power or a carrying case.
POST		Power-On Self Test. A series of built-in diagnostics that are performed when the computer is first started.
PostScript		A popular page description language. Many fonts, graphics programs, screen drivers, and printer drivers use PostScript.
power		The electricity that makes a computer go. Also a general term for computing speed.
power down		To shut off the power to a computer.
Power supply		The device in a computer that converts ordinary 110 VAC to the DC voltages used by the computer. If you look inside your desktop system unit, it's the metal box with the fan and on-off switch on its sides.
power up		To switch on the power to a computer.
PPM		Pages Per Minute. A measure of the speed of a printer. Usually tells how many times the printer can print the same page in a minute.
primary storage		The main RAM used by a CPU, especially the first megabyte. Same as main memory.
print job		A single item to be printed. Usually used when there are two or more items, and one or more is waiting to be printed.
print queue		One or more print jobs waiting to be printed.
print server		A node on a network that manages the print jobs sent to network printers.
print spooler		Software that manages print jobs, generally by organizing them into a queue and determining parameters such as in what order the jobs print. Spool is from Simultaneous Print Operations On Line.
printed circuit		A (usually complex) electronic circuit printed on a piece of nonconducting material, onto which electronic components are soldered. Same as printed circuit board and circuit board.
printer		A device that outputs text or graphics onto paper or film. Dot-matrix printers look rather like a typewriter without a keyboard. Laser printers look somewhat like photocopiers that don't have a place to put the original.
printer driver		Software that enables the computer to control a printer and use its features.
printhead		The part of a dot matrix or inkjet printer that makes the marks on the paper.
printout		The output from a printer. Same as hard copy.
PRN		The DOS logical device name for printer. Usually communicates with the parallel port LPT1.
process		A series of related steps. See algorithm. Also to carry out these steps. See processing.
processing		What a computer does to data that has been input. See computer.
processor		See CPU, microprocessor.
program		A set of instructions written in a computer language which instructs a computer to perform a task. See application, operating system, software.
programmable		Frequently refers to keys that can be assigned to start a series of steps called a macro. Gateway 2000's AnyKey keyboard is programmable in this sense.
PROM		Programmable Read Only Memory. Chips whose circuits can be programmed, but not changed thereafter. See EPROM .
prompt		See DOS prompt.
protocol		A set of rules or parameters for communications between computer systems or parts of a computer system.
proxy server		A server that provides access to items available on other, slower servers by way of its cache. In other words, it keeps a copy of the remote server's items in its cache and serves them instead of having to go out to the server to get them every time they're requested.
PS/2		Personal System 2. A standard for computer systems introduced in the late '80s which included specifications for VGA, microchannel bus architechture and a new set of keyboard and mouse connectors now referred to as PS/2 connectors.
pseudo-static		RAM or other chips that are functionally equivalent to static chips. They have their own internal refresh circuitry, so they appear to the system to not need refreshing.
purge		To delete in a manner that prevents recovery. Same as zap.
push technology		Allows users to choose information to be automatically downloaded to them, whether or not they are at their PC. A service provider will send requested information (e.g. news, sports, technology, travel, etc.) to users as it is updated, saving users both time and energy spent searching sites for the same information.

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