MICROSOFT Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

pseudolanguage

n. A nonexistent programming language—that is, one for which no implementation exists. The term can refer either to the machine language for a nonexistent processor or to a high-level language for which no compiler exists. See also pseudocode.

pseudomachine

n. A processor that doesn’t actually exist in hardware but that is emulated in software. A program written for the pseudomachine can run on several platforms without having to be recompiled. Abbreviation: p-machine. See also pseudocode, UCSD p-System.

pseudo-op

n. See pseudo-operation.

pseudo-operation

n. In programming, a program instruction that conveys information to an assembler or compiler but is not translated into a machine language instruction— for example, an instruction that establishes the value of a constant or the manner in which Boolean (logical) expressions are to be evaluated. Abbreviation: pseudo-op.

pseudo-streaming

n. A method used for real-time display of audio and video over the Web. Unlike sound or video files that are downloaded to a computer in their entirety before they can be played back, pseudostreaming enables playback after only a portion of the file—enough to fill a buffer on the receiving computer—has been downloaded. Pseudo-streaming, unlike “true,” or Web, streaming, does not depend on server software to dynamically monitor the transmission. It can, however, play back only from the beginning of the file, rather than from any point, as can be the case with true streaming. See also stream.

PSK

n. See phase-shift keying.

PSN

n. Acronym for packet-switching network. See packet switching.

PSTN

n. See Public Switched Telephone Network.

p-system

n. An operating system based on a pseudomachine implemented in software. A program written for the p-system is more portable than one written for a machine-dependent operating system. See also UCSD p-System.

P-type semiconductor

n. Semiconductor material in which electrical conduction is carried by holes (“vacancies” left by electrons). Whether a semiconductor is N-type or P-type depends on the kind of dopant added during manufacture. A dopant with a shortage of electrons results in a P-type semiconductor.

Compare N-type semiconductor.

pub

n. See /pub.

/pub

n. Short for public. A directory in an anonymous FTP archive that is accessible by the public and that generally contains files available for free download. See also anonymous FTP.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

public

adj. A keyword in some programming languages to signify that methods or variables can be accessed by elements residing in other classes or modules. See also class., keyword (definition 2), global variable, reserved word, scope. Compare private.

public directory

n. A directory on an FTP server that is accessible by anonymous users for the purpose of retrieving or storing files. Often the directory is called /pub. See also anonymous FTP, FTP (definition 1), FTP server /pub.

public domain

n. The set of all creative works, such as books, music, or software, that are not covered by copyright or other property protection. Works in the public domain can be freely copied, modified, and otherwise used in any manner for any purpose. Much of the information, texts, and software on the Internet is in the public domain, but putting a copyrighted work on the Internet does not put it in the public domain. Compare proprietary.

public-domain software

n. A program donated for public use by its owner or developer and freely available for copying and distribution. Compare free software, freeware, proprietary software, shareware.

public files

n. Files with no access restrictions.

public folders

n. The folders that are made accessible on a particular machine or by a particular user in a shared networking environment. Compare private folders.

public key

n. One of two keys in public key encryption. The user releases this key to the public, who can use it for encrypting messages to be sent to the user and for decrypting the user’s digital signature. See also public key encryption. Compare private key.

public key cryptography

n. See public key encryption.

public key encryption

n. An asymmetric scheme that uses a pair of keys for encryption: the public key encrypts data, and a corresponding secret key decrypts it. For digital signatures, the process is reversed: the sender uses the secret key to create a unique electronic number that can be read by anyone possessing the corresponding public key, which verifies that the message is truly from the sender. See also private key, public key.

public rights

n. In the context of the Internet, the extent to which members of the public are permitted to use (and to place) information on the Internet under intellectual property law. See also fair use, public domain, public-domain software.

Public Switched Telephone Network n. The public telephone system.

Publisher

n. A software application developed by Microsoft Corporation to help businesses create highquality marketing and business material. A part of the Office product family, Publisher provides business users with design options for a variety of publications, such as newsletters, flyers, brochures, and Web pages.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

publishing point

n. A publishing point is a virtual directory used for storing content or delivering a live stream. End users reach a publishing point through its URL. There are two types of unicast publishing points: on-demand for stored content and broadcast for live streams. See also on-demand publishing point, broadcast publishing point. Compare unicast.

puck

n. A pointing device used with a graphics tablet. A puck, which is often used in engineering applications, is a mouselike device with buttons for selecting items or choosing commands and a clear plastic section extending from one end with cross hairs printed on it. The intersection of the cross hairs on the puck points to a location on the graphics tablet, which in turn is mapped to a specific location on the screen. Because the puck’s cross hairs are on a transparent surface, a user can easily trace a drawing by placing it between the graphics tablet and the puck and moving the cross hairs over the lines of the drawing. See also graphics tablet, stylus.

Puck.

puff and sip device

n. An assistive computer technology for people with mobility impairments. A puff and sip device is a head-mounted alternative to using a mouse or keyboard. For mouse functionality, the device allows a user to move the mouse pointer without using his or her hands by puffing air into a tube.

pull

vb. The process of retrieving data from a network server. Compare push (definition 2). See pop.

pull-down menu

n. A menu that is pulled down from the menu bar and that remains available as long as the user holds it open. Compare drop-down menu.

pulse

n. A transient signal, usually brief and with a discrete onset and offset.

pulse amplitude modulation

n. A method of encoding information in a signal by varying the amplitude of pulses. The unmodulated signal consists of a continuous train of pulses of constant frequency, duration, and amplitude. During modulation the pulse amplitudes are changed to reflect the information being encoded. See the illustration. Acronym: PAM. Compare pulse code modulation, pulse duration modulation, pulse position modulation.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Pulse amplitude modulation.

pulse code modulation

n. A method of encoding information in a signal by varying the amplitude of pulses. Unlike pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), in which pulse amplitude can vary continuously, pulse code modulation limits pulse amplitudes to several predefined values. Because the signal is discrete, or digital, rather than analog, pulse code modulation is more immune to noise than PAM. Acronym: PCM. Compare pulse amplitude modulation, pulse duration modulation, pulse position modulation.

pulse dialing

n. See rotary dialing.

pulse duration modulation

n. A method of encoding information in a signal by varying the duration of pulses. The unmodulated signal consists of a continuous train of pulses of constant frequency, duration, and amplitude. During modulation, the pulse durations are changed to reflect the information being encoded. See the illustration. Acronym: PDM. Also called: pulse length modulation, pulse width modulation.

Pulse duration modulation.

pulse length modulation

n. See pulse duration modulation.

pulse position modulation

n. A method of encoding information in a signal by varying the position of pulses. The unmodulated signal consists of a continuous train of pulses of constant frequency, duration, and amplitude. During modulation, the pulse positions are changed to reflect the information being encoded. See the illustration. Acronym: PPM. Compare pulse amplitude modulation, pulse code modulation, pulse duration modulation.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Pulse position modulation.

pulse width modulation

n. See pulse duration modulation.

punched card

n. An outdated computer-input medium made of stiff paper that stores data bits in columns containing patterns of punched holes. The method for creating the patterns used for different byte values is called Hollerith coding. See also Hollerith tabulating/recording machine.

punched-card reader n. See card reader.

pure procedure

n. Any procedure that modifies only data that is dynamically allocated (usually on the stack). A pure procedure cannot modify either global data or its own code. This restriction allows a pure procedure to be called simultaneously by separate tasks. See also reentrant code.

purge

vb. To eliminate old or unneeded information systematically; to clean up, as files.

push1

n. A technology developed in relation to the World Wide Web, designed to provide end users with personalized Web access by having a site actively “push” requested information to the user’s desktop, either automatically or at specified intervals. Push was developed as a means of relieving users from having to actively retrieve (“pull”) information from the Web. It is not, as yet, especially popular.

push2

vb. 1. To add a new element to a stack, a data structure generally used to temporarily hold pieces of data being transferred or the partial result of an arithmetic operation. See also stack. Compare pop. 2. In networks and the Internet, to send data or a program from a server to a client at the instigation of the server. See also push2. Compare pull.

put

vb. In programming, to write data, typically to a file; in particular, to write a very small unit of data, such as a character.

PVC

n. Acronym for permanent virtual circuit. A permanent logical connection between two nodes on a packet-switching network. The PVC appears as a dedicated line to the nodes, but the data can be transmitted on a common carrier. See also common carrier, node (definition 2 ), packet switching, virtual private network. Compare SVC.

pwd

n. Acronym for print working directory. The UNIX command for displaying the current directory.

PWM

n. Acronym for pulse width modulation. See pulse duration modulation.

PXE boot

n. Acronym for Preboot Execution Environment boot. A BIOS-supported technology used to boot a PC remotely. To power on a PC and boot it from the network, PXE must be enabled in the BIOS, and the NIC in the PC must be PXE compliant. PXE boot is specified in the Intel Wired for Management (WfM) standard. Also called: network boot.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

pyramid diagram

n. A diagram that is used to show foundation-based relationships.

Python

n. A portable, interpreted, object-oriented programming language developed and freely distributed by its developer. Python runs on many platforms, including UNIX, Windows, OS/2, and Macintosh, and is used for writing TCP/IP applications.

Q: QAM - QWERTY keyboard

QAM

n. See quadrature amplitude modulation, queued access method.

QBasic

n. An interpreted language. QBasic is a dialect of Basic created by Microsoft for the MS-DOS platform. This language is no longer supported.

QBE

n. See query by example.

QIC

n. 1. Acronym for quarter-inch cartridge. A storage technology used with tape backup drives and cartridges. A means of backing up data on computer systems, QIC represents a set of standards devised to enable tapes to be used with drives from different manufacturers. The QIC standards specify the length of tape, the number of recording tracks, and the magnetic strength of the tape coating, all of which determine the amount of information that can be written to the tape. Older QIC-80 drives can hold up to 340 MB of compressed data. Newer versions can hold more than 1 GB of information. 2. A consortium of quarter-inch tape manufacturers. Quarter-Inch Cartridge Drive Standards Inc. (QIC) establishes standards for the production of quarter-inch tapes. For example, QIC-40 and QIC-80, designed to use a PC’s floppy disk drive controller, are called the “floppy tape standards.”

QOS or QoS

n. See quality of service.

quadbit

n. A set of 4 bits representing one of 16 possible combinations. In communications, quadbits are a means of increasing transmission rates by encoding 4 bits at a time, instead of 1 or 2. The 16 quadbits are 0000, 0001, 0010, 0011, 0100, 0101, 0110, 0111, 1000, 1001, 1010, 1011, 1100, 1101, 1110, and 1111. Compare nibble.

quadrature amplitude modulation

n. In communications, an encoding method that combines amplitude modulation and phase modulation to create a constellation of signal points, each representing one unique combination of bits that can be identified with one possible state that the carrier wave can be in. Acronym: QAM. See also amplitude modulation, constellation, phase-shift keying, trellis-coded modulation.

quadrature encoding

n. The most common method used to determine in which direction a mouse is moving. In mechanical mice, movement of the mouse ball is translated into horizontal or vertical movement by a pair of turning disks, one disk for horizontal movement and one disk for vertical movement, each of which makes and breaks contact with two sensors located on it. The two sensors are placed out of phase with each other, and the mouse notes which sensor receives contact first. The phrase quadrature encoding comes from the fact that each sensor sends a square-wave signal 90 degrees out of phase with the other. If the first signal occurs before the second, the

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

mouse is assumed to have been moved in one direction; if the second signal occurs before the first, the mouse is assumed to have been moved in the opposite direction. See also mechanical mouse, mouse, optomechanical mouse.

quality assurance

n. A system of procedures carried out to ensure that a product or a system adheres or conforms to established standards. Also called: quality control.

quality of service

n. 1. Generally, the handling capacity of a system or service; the time interval between request and delivery of a product or service to the client or customer. 2. In computer technology, the guaranteed throughput (data transfer rate) level.

quantity

n. A number—positive or negative, whole or fractional—that is used to indicate a value.

quantize

vb. To divide an element into separate, distinct units (quanta) and to assign a value to each resulting unit, especially in the domain of time. Compare digitize.

quantum

n. 1. In communications, the unit resulting from division of a signal by quantization. 2. A portion of time allotted on a time-sharing system. Compare time slice. 3. An amount of something; for example, in physics, a unit of radiant energy.

quantum bit n. See qubit.

quantum computing

n. A theoretical design for computers based on quantum mechanics. Unlike classic (current) digital computers, which calculate sets of values sequentially because a single bit can represent only 1 or 0 at any given time, a quantum computer is based on the ability of each bit to represent more than one value at the same time. Because each quantum bit—called a qubit—represents multiple values, a quantum computer can be in multiple states simultaneously and can thus work on numerous problems at the same time to offer far more computing power than is currently available. Quantum computing is under investigation by the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other groups. Although atoms of hydrogen and carbon have been used to create the rudiments of a quantum computer, the technology is still in its infancy.

quarter-inch cartridge

n. See QIC (definition 1).

Quartz

n. The 2-D drawing engine that forms the imaging foundation of the Mac OS X Aqua interface. The Quartz graphics application programming interface (API) is based on Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) standard.

quartz crystal

n. A precisely shaped and precisely sized piece of the mineral quartz, used for its piezoelectric properties. When a voltage is applied to a quartz crystal, it vibrates at a frequency determined by its size and shape. Quartz crystals are commonly used to control the frequency of oscillator circuits such as the clocks in microcomputers. See also piezoelectric.

quasi-language

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. A derogatory term for any programming language that, because of deficiencies, is not suitable for any serious work.

qubit

n. Short for quantum bit. The bits (currently, atomic particles) that make up the theoretical machines known as quantum computers. Qubits are unlike bits in current computers in that they exist in more than one state at the same time. They can, therefore, represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously. Qubits, like quantum computers, are based on the science of quantum mechanics.

query1

n. A specific set of instructions for extracting particular data.

query2

vb. To extract data from a database and present it for use.

query by example

n. A simple-to-use query language implemented on several relational database management systems. Using query by example, the user specifies fields to be displayed, intertable linkages, and retrieval criteria directly onto forms displayed on the screen. These forms are a direct pictorial representation of the table and row structures that make up the database. Thus, the construction of a query becomes a simple “checkoff” procedure from the viewpoint of the user. Acronym: QBE.

query language

n. A subset of the data manipulation language; specifically, that portion relating to the retrieval and display of data from a database. It is sometimes used loosely to refer to the entire data manipulation language. See also data manipulation language.

question mark n. See ?.

queue1

n. A multi-element data structure from which (by strict definition) elements can be removed only in the same order in which they were inserted; that is, it follows a first in, first out (FIFO) constraint. There are also several types of queues in which removal is based on factors other than order of insertion—for example, some priority value assigned to each element. See also deque, element (definition 1). Compare stack.

queue2

vb. To place (an item) in a queue.

queued access method

n. A programming technique that minimizes input/output delays by synchronizing the transfer of information between the program and the computer’s input and output devices. Acronym: QAM.

queuing

n. In networking, the process of buffering data in preparation for transmission. See also fair queuing; first in, first out; last in, first out; weighted fair queuing.

QuickDraw

n. On the Apple Macintosh, the built-in group of routines within the operating system that controls the display of graphics and text. Application programs call QuickDraw for on-screen displays. See also Toolbox.

QuickDraw 3-D

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. A version of the Macintosh QuickDraw library that includes routines for doing 3-D graphics calculations. See also QuickDraw.

Quicken

n. Financial-management software from Intuit, Inc. The personal-finance version, introduced by Intuit in 1984, includes tools for balancing and tracking bank accounts and investments, budgeting, paying bills, planning and preparing tax returns, financial planning, and estate planning. A small-business version, Quicken Home & Business, adds tools for business-related matters, such as invoicing and accounts receivable and payable.

quicksort

n. An efficient sort algorithm, described by C.A.R. Hoare in 1962, in which the essential strategy is to “divide and conquer.” A quicksort begins by scanning the list to be sorted for a median value. This value, called the pivot, is then moved to its final position in the list. Next, all items in the list whose values are less than the pivot value are moved to one side of the list, and the items with values greater than the pivot value are moved to the other side. Each resulting side is sorted the same way, until a fully sorted list results. See also sort algorithm. Compare bubble sort, insertion sort, merge sort.

QuickTime

n. Software components developed by Apple for creating, editing, publishing, and viewing multimedia content. QuickTime, which supports video, animation, graphics, 3-D, VR (virtual reality), MIDI, music, sound, and text, has been part of the Mac OS since version 7 of the operating system and is used in many Macintosh applications. Windows applications can also run QuickTime files but require the installation of special player software. QuickTime is often used on the Web to provide Web pages with video and animation. Most Web browsers support plug-ins for running these types of files. QuickTime is also part of the new MPEG-4 specification. See also MPEG-4.

Quick View

n. A feature, optionally installed as part of Windows 9x, that provides a set of file viewers for previewing the contents of files without having to start the application(s) that created them. The feature is accessed through the Quick View command, available either from the File menu or by right-clicking a filename. If the feature has been installed but the file type is not supported by a viewer, the Quick View command does not appear.

quiet answer

n. A telephone-answering protocol in which incoming calls are answered with silence instead of a tone signal. Some telephone-switching systems use quiet answering. These switching systems expect the caller to provide another phone number, code, or extension after the quiet answer.

quit1

n. 1. An FTP command that instructs the server to drop the current connection with the client from which it received the command. 2. A command in many applications for exiting the program.

quit2

vb. 1. To stop in an orderly manner. 2. To execute the normal shutdown of a program and return control to the operating system. Compare abort, bomb2, crash2 (definition 1), hang.

QWERTY keyboard

n. A keyboard layout named for the six leftmost characters in the top row of alphabetic characters on most keyboards—the standard layout of most typewriters and computer keyboards. Compare Dvorak keyboard.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

R: R&D - RZ

R&D

n. Acronym for research and development.

race condition

n. 1. A condition in which a feedback circuit interacts with internal circuit processes in a way that produces chaotic output behavior. 2. A condition in which data propagates rapidly through a logic circuit far ahead of the clock signal intended to control its passage.

rack-mounted

adj. Built for installation in a metal frame or cabinet of standard width (typically 19 inches or 23 inches) and mounting arrangements.

RAD

n. Acronym for rapid application development. A method of building computer systems in which the system is programmed and implemented in segments, rather than waiting until the entire project is completed for implementation. Developed by programmer James Martin, RAD uses such tools as CASE and visual programming. See also CASE, visual programming.

radian

n. The angle between two radii of a circle such that the length of the arc between them is equal to the radius. The circumference of a circle is equal to 2p times the radius, so one radian contains 360/(2p) = 180/p = approximately 57.2958 degrees. Conversely, multiplying the number of degrees by p/180 gives the number of radians; 360 degrees equals 2p radians. See the illustration.

Radian.

radio

n. 1. Electromagnetic waves longer than about 0.3 mm (frequencies lower than about 1 THz). Radio is used to transmit a wide variety of signals, using various frequency ranges and types of