| backup |
To store data in an archive, especially a duplicate copy of a program. |
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| bandwidth |
A measure of how much information something can carry. Specifically, data path times frequency. For example, the ISA bus has a data path of 16 bits (it can send 16 bits at a time) and typically operates at 8.33MHz, so it has a bandwidth of 133.28 megabits per second. |
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| base memory |
The first 640K of computer memory. |
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| Batch file |
A file that contains a series of DOS commands. Batch files have the extension .bat. If you execute a batch file, DOS attempts to carry out all the commands in the file in order. |
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| Baud |
A unit of measure for modem speed. Literally, the number of voltage transitions per second. Phone line limitations limit the actual baud rate of modems to 2400 baud, although the data transmission rate (bps) may be higher because of data compression. (The term baud comes from the name of a French inventor, J. M. E. Baudot.) |
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| Bay |
An opening in the chassis to hold mass storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM drives, and tape backup units. |
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| Benchmark |
A test program used to compare relative performance between computer systems, devices or software packages. |
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| Binary |
A number system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1. Called a base 2 number system. Place value indicates powers of 2. (In the decimal system, place value indicates powers of 10.) Since computers use bits, which have only two states, binary is a convenient number system for representing computer information at its most basic level. |
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| BIOS |
An acronym for Basic Input/Output System. In some operating systems, the part of the program that customizes it to a specific computer. |
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| Bit |
Short for Binary Digit. A single digital piece of information, generally represented by the numeral 0 or 1. The smallest piece of information that a computer deals with. Usually the transition between the states of +5V and -5V within a desktop computer, the charge of a transistor in an integrated circuit, or the change in polarity of a magnetic region on a disk. [See byte.] Data compression schemes can enable the transmission of more than one bit per voltage transition. |
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| Bomb |
When a computer fails to operate, usually due to a failure in software. Used especially if the screen shows conspicuously incorrect behavior, such as rapid blinking. Usually requires rebooting the computer. |
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| Boot |
1: To start the computer system. Your computer is generally booted in one of three ways: by turning on the power switch, by pressing the reset switch, or by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys. Booting the system after it has already been powered up and booted is referred to as rebooting. Also the process of booting itself. Boot is from "bootstrap;" a reference to a computer's ability to set itself up, or pull itself up by its own "bootstraps".
2: Footwear worn by AMD engineers in Austin, Texas. Great for doing the two-step and kicking...well, you get the picture. |
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| Bug |
An unintentional error in programming that makes a program malfunction. Said to originate from a moth caught in a relay in an early computer. |
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| Bus |
A channel or path for transferring data that does not permit an interrupt to occur. An unbroken stream of bits is a burst of data. |
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| Bus Interface Device |
An IC [integrated circuit] that allows signals to interface among components within the motherboard and between the motherboard and add-on peripherals via the backplane. System buses typically require bus interface devices which can drive high capacitance loads. |
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| Byte |
Generally 8 bits consecutively lined together as a unit. |
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| Byte |
Eight bits. [See bit.] The basic "word" of digital signals. Frequently written as an eight-digit binary number or a two-digit hexadecimal number. One letter of the alphabet in ASCII code takes one byte. |
