Dictionary of Computing - 5th Edition

printing / pr nt ŋ/ noun the action of

putting text and graphics onto paper print job / pr nt d'ɒb/ noun a file in a

print queue that contains all the characters and printer control codes needed to print one document or page

print life / pr nt la f/ noun the number of characters a component can print before needing to be replaced The printhead has a print life of over 400 million charac-

ters.

Print Manager / pr nt m n d'ə/ a software utility that is part of Microsoft Windows and is used to manage print

queues

print modifiers /pr nt mɒd fa əs/ plural noun codes in a document that cause a printer to change mode, e.g., from bold to italic

printout / pr nt aυt/ noun the final

printed page

print pause / pr nt pɔ z/ noun the process of temporarily stopping a printer while printing, e.g. in order to change pa-

per

print preview /pr nt pri vju / noun a function of a software product that lets the user see how a page will appear when

printed

print quality /pr nt kwɒl ti/ noun the quality of the text or graphics printed, normally measured in dots per inch A desktop printer with a resolution of 600dpi pro-

vides good print quality.

print queue / pr nt kju / noun an area of memory that stores print jobs ready to send to the printer when it has finished its

current work

Print Screen key / pr nt skri n ki / noun a key in the top right-hand side of the keyboard that sends the characters that are

displayed on the screen to the printer print server /pr nt s və/ noun a com-

puter in a network which is dedicated to

managing print queues and printers print spooling / pr nt spu l ŋ/ noun

the automatic printing of a number of different documents in a queue at the normal speed of the printer, while the computer is

doing some other task

print style / pr nt sta l/ noun a typeface used on a certain printer or for a certain document

printwheel / pr ntwi l/ noun a daisywheel or the wheel made up of a number of arms, with a character shape at the end of each arm, used in a daisy-wheel printer

priority /pra ɒr ti/ noun the importance of a device or software routine in a computer system The operating system has priority over the application when disk space is allocated.

priority interrupt /pra ɒr tintər pt/ noun a signal to a computer that takes precedence over any other task

priority interrupt table /pra ɒr tintər pt te b(ə)l/ noun a list of periph-

erals and their priorities when they send an interrupt signal, used instead of a hardware priority scheduler

priority scheduler /pra ɒr tiʃedju lə/ noun a system that organises

tasks into correct processing priority to improve performance

priority sequence /pra ɒr tisi kwəns/ noun the order in which vari-

ous devices that have sent an interrupt signal are processed, according to their importance or urgency

privacy / pr vəsi/ noun the right of an individual to limit the extent of and control the access to the data that is stored about him

privacy of data / pr vəsi əv de tə/ noun the fact that particular data is secret and must not be accessed by users who have not been authorized

privacy of information / pr vəsi əvnfə me ʃ(ə)n/ noun the fact that unau-

thorized users must not obtain data about private individuals from databases, or that each individual has the right to know what information is being held about him or her on a database

privacy statement / pr vəsiste tmənt/ noun the policy of a compa-

ny, published on their website, that explains to visitors and customers what the company will or will not do with a customer’s personal details

private / pra vət/ adjective belonging to an individual or to a company, not to the public

private address space / pra vət ədres spe s/ noun a memory address

range that is reserved for a single user, not for public access

private branch exchange / pra vətbrɑ ntʃ ks tʃe nd'/ noun a small tele-

phone exchange located within a company that allows the people in the company to dial each other or to dial out to an external telephone number. Abbr PBX

private key cryptography / pra vət ki kr p tɒ rə i/ noun a method of en-

crypting Internet messages that uses a single key both to encode and decode them privilege / pr v l d'/ noun the status of a user as regards to the type of program he or she can run and the resources he or she

can use

privileged account / pr vəl d'd əkaυnt/ noun a computer account that al-

lows special programs or access to sensitive system data

privileged instructions / pr vəl d'd

n str kʃənz/ plural noun computer commands that can only be executed via a priv-

ileged account

privileged mode / pr vəl d'd məυd/ noun a mode of an Intel 80286 processor that is in protected mode and allows a program to modify vital parts of the operating environment

PRN / pi ɑ en/ noun an acronym used in MS-DOS to represent the standard

printer port. Full form printer

problem / prɒbləm/ noun a malfunction or fault with hardware or software

problem definition / prɒbləmdefən ʃ(ə)n/ noun the clear explanation,

in logical steps, of a problem that is to be solved

problem diagnosis / prɒbləmda ə nəυs s/ noun the process of finding

the cause of a fault or error and finding the method of repairing it

problem-orientated language

/ prɒbləm ɔ riənte t d l ŋ w d'/ noun a high-level programming language that allows certain problems to be ex-

pressed easily. Abbr POL

procedural /prə si d'ərəl/ adjective using a procedure to solve a problem

procedural language /prəsi d'(ə)rəl l ŋ w d'/ noun a high-level

programming language in which the programmer enters the actions required to achieve the result wanted

procedure /prə si d'ə/ noun 1. a small section of computer instruction code that provides a frequently used function and can be called upon from a main program

This procedure sorts all the files into alphabetical order. subroutine 2. a method or route used when solving a problem

You should use this procedure to retrieve lost files.

procedure declaration /prə si d'ədekləre ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of writ-

ing and declaring the variable types of procedure used and the routine name and location

procedure-orientated language

/prə si d'ə ɔ riənte t d l ŋ w d'/ noun a high-level programming language that allows procedures to be programmed easily

process /prəυ ses/ noun a number of tasks that must be carried out to achieve a goal The process of setting up the computer takes a long time. verb to carry out a number of tasks to produce a result We processed the new data.

process bound / prəυses baυnd/ noun a program that spends more time executing instructions and using the CPU than in I/O operations

process chart / prəυses tʃɑ t/ noun a diagram that shows each step of the computer procedures needed in a system process control / prəυses kən trəυl/ noun the automatic control of a process by a computer

process control computer

/ prəυses kən trəυl kəm pju tə/ noun a dedicated computer that controls and manages a process

process control system / prəυses kən trəυl s stəm/ noun a system that

completely monitors, manages and regulates a process, comprising input and output modules, a CPU with memory, a program and control and feedback devices such as A/D and D/A converters processing / prəυses ŋ/ noun the use of a computer to solve a problem or organise data Page processing time depends on the complexity of a given page. CPU

processor / prəυ sesə/ noun a hardware or software device that is able to manipulate or modify data according to instructions

processor controlled keying

/ prəυsesə kən trəυld ki ŋ/ noun data entry by an operator which is prompted and controlled by a computer

processor interrupt / prəυsesəntər pt/ noun the process of sending an

interrupt signal to a processor requesting attention, usually causing it to stop what it is doing and attend to the calling device processor-limited / prəυsesəl m t d/ adjective referring to operation or execution time that is set by the speed of the processor rather than a peripheral

processor status word / prəυsesəste təs w d/ noun a word that contains a number of status bits, e.g. as carry flag,

zero flag and overflow flag. Abbr PSW produce /prə dju s/ verb to make or

manufacture something

producer /prə dju sə/ noun a person, company or country that manufactures

Country which is a producer of high quality computer equipment.

producing capacity /prə dju s ŋ kə

p səti/ noun the capacity to produce product / prɒd kt/ noun 1. an item that

is made or manufactured 2. a manufactured item for sale 3. the result after multi-

plication

product design / prɒd kt d za n/

noun the activity of designing products product engineer / prɒd kt end'

n ə/ noun an engineer in charge of the equipment for making a product production /prə d kʃən/ noun the process of making or manufacturing of goods for sale Production will probably

be held up by industrial action.

production control /prə d kʃən kəntrəυl/ noun the control of the manufac-

turing of a product (using computers)

production level video /prə d kʃənlev(ə)l v diəυ/ noun full form of PLV

production rate /prə d kʃ(ə)n re t/

noun same as rate of production

production standards /prə d kʃənst ndədz/ plural noun the quality of pro-

duction

productive /prə d kt v/ adjective during or in which something useful is pro-

duced

productive time /prə d kt v ta m/ noun a period of time during which a com-

puter can run error-free tasks

product line / prɒd kt la n/, product range / prɒd kt re nd'/ noun a series of

different products made by the same company, which form a group

product range / prɒd kt re nd'/

noun same as product line

profile / prəυfa l/ noun a feature of Windows 95 that stores the settings for differ-

ent users on one PC

PROFS /prɒfs/ a trade name for an electronic mail system developed by IBM that runs on mainframe computers

program / prəυ r m/ noun a complete set of instructions which direct a computer to carry out a particular task assembly

program a number of assembly code instructions that perform a task verb to write or prepare a set of instructions that direct a computer to perform a certain task

program address counter

/ prəυ r m ə dres kaυntə/ noun a register in a CPU that contains the location of

the next instruction to be processed program branch / prəυ r m

brɑ ntʃ/ noun one or more paths that can

be followed after a conditional statement program cards / prəυ r m kɑ dz/

plural noun punched cards that contain the instructions that make up a program program coding sheet / prəυ r mkəυd ŋ ʃi t/ noun a specially preprinted form on which computer instructions can be written, simplifying program writing

program compatibility / prəυ r m kəm p tə b l ti/ noun the ability of two

pieces of software to function correctly together

program compilation / prəυ r mkɒmpə le ʃ(ə)n/ noun the translation of

an encoded source program into machine

code

program counter / prəυ r mkaυntə/ noun a register in a CPU that

contains the location of the next instruc-

tion to be processed. Abbr PC

program crash / prəυ r m kr ʃ/ noun an unexpected failure of a program owing to a programming error or a hardware fault

program design language

/ prəυ r m d za n l ŋ w d'/ noun a programming language used to design the structure of a program. Abbr PDL

program development / prəυ r m d veləpmənt/ noun all the operations in-

volved in creating a computer program from first ideas to initial writing, debugging and the final product

program development system

/ prəυ r m d veləpmənt s stəm/ noun all the hardware and software needed for program development on a system

program documentation

/ prəυ r m dɒkjυmen te ʃ(ə)n/ noun a set of instruction notes, examples and

tips on how to use a program

program editor / prəυ r m ed tə/ noun a piece of software that allows the user to alter, delete and add instructions to a program file

program evaluation and review technique / prəυ r m v ljue ʃ(ə)n

ən r vju tek ni k/ noun full form of

PERT

program execution / prəυ r meks kju ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of in-

structing a processor to execute in sequence the instructions in a program program file / prəυ r m fa l/ noun a file containing a program rather than data

program flowchart / prəυ r mfləυtʃɑ t/ noun a diagram that graphical-

ly describes the various steps in a program

program generation / prəυ r md'enə re ʃ(ə)n/ noun generator

program generator / prəυ r md'enəre tə/ noun a piece of software that

allows users to write complex programs using a few simple instructions program group / prəυ r m ru p/ noun (in Windows 3.1x) a window that contains icons relating to a particular subject or program

program icon / prəυ r m a kɒn/ noun (in a GUI) an icon that represents an executable program file To run the program, double-click on the program icon.

program information file

/ prəυ r m nfə me ʃ(ə)n fa l/ noun full form of PIF

program instruction / prəυ r m nstr kʃən/ noun a single word or expres-

sion that represents one operation program item / prəυ r m a təm/ noun (in a GUI) an icon that represents a program

program library / prəυ r mla brəri/ noun a collection of useful pro-

cedures and programs which can be used for various purposes and included into new software

program line / prəυ r m la n/ noun one row of commands or arguments in a computer program

program line number / prəυ r mla n n mbə/ noun a number that refers

to a line of program code in a computer program

program listing / prəυ r m l st ŋ/ noun a list of the instructions that make up a program, displayed in an ordered manner programmable / prəυ r məb(ə)l/ adjective referring to a device that can accept and store instructions then execute them

programmable calculator

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l k lkjυle tə/ noun a

small calculator that can hold certain basic mathematical calculating programs

programmable clock

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l klɒk/ noun a circuit whose frequency can be set by the user

programmable interrupt controller / prəυ r məb(ə)l ntər pt kəntrəυlə/ noun a circuit or chip that can be

programmed to ignore certain interrupts, accept only high priority interrupts and select the priority of interrupts

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l ki / noun a special key on a computer terminal keyboard that can be programmed with various functions or characters

programmable logic array noun full form of PLA

programmable logic device

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l lɒd' k d va s/ noun full form of PLD

programmable memory

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l mem(ə)ri/ noun full form of PROM

programmable read only memory

/ prəυ r məb(ə)l ri d əυnli mem(ə)ri/ noun full form of PROM

program maintenance / prəυ r mme ntənəns/ noun the process of keep-

ing a program free of errors and up to date

Program Manager / prəυ r mm n d'ə/ noun (in Windows 3.x) the main part of Windows that the user sees programmatic / prəυ rə m t k/ adjective relating to computer programs programmed halt / prəυ r md hɔ lt/ noun an instruction within a program which, when executed, halts the processor programmed learning / prəυ r mdl n ŋ/ noun the process of using educational software which allows a learner to follow a course of instruction programmer / prəυ r mə/ noun 1. a person who is capable of designing and writing a working program The programmer is still working on the new software. 2. a device that allows data to be written into a programmable read only memory

programmer’s hierarchical inter-

active graphics standard

/ prəυ r məz ha ə rɑ k k(ə)l ntərkt v r f ks st ndəd/ noun full

form of PHIGS

programming / prəυ r m ŋ/ noun 1. the activity of writing programs for com-

puters 2. the activity of writing data into a PROM device

COMMENT: Programming languages are grouped into different levels: the high-level languages such as BASIC and PASCAL are easy to understand and use, but offer slow execution time since each instruction is made up of a number of machine code instructions; low-level languages such as assembler are more complex to read and program in but offer faster execution time.

programming in logic / prəυ r m ŋn lɒd' k/ noun full form of PROLOG

programming language

/ prəυ r m ŋ l ŋ w d'/ noun a piece of software that allows a user to write a series of instructions to define a particular task, which will then be translated to a form that is understood by the computer

programming language for microprocessors / prəυ r m ŋ l ŋ w d' fə ma krə prəυsesəz/ noun full form of

PL/M

programming standards

/ prəυ r m ŋ st ndədz/ plural noun rules to which programs must conform to produce compatible code

program name / prəυ r m ne m/ noun an identification name for a stored program file

program origin / prəυ r m ɒr d' n/ noun the address at which the first instruction of a program is stored

program overlay / prəυ r məυvəle / noun a portion of a big program

that is loaded from disk into memory when it is needed

program register / prəυ r mred' stə/ noun a register in a CPU that

contains an instruction during decoding and execution operations

program relocation / prəυ r mri ləυ ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of

moving a stored program from one area of memory to another

program report generator

/ prəυ r m r pɔ t d'enəre tə/ noun a piece of software that allows users to create reports from files, databases and other stored data

program run / prəυ r m r n/ noun the process of executing, in correct order, the instructions in a program

program segment / prəυ r mse mənt/ noun a section of a main pro-

gram that can be executed in its own right, without the rest of the main program being required

Programs menu / prəυ r mzmenju / noun a sub-menu, accessed from

the Start button in Windows, that lists all the programs that are installed on the computer

program specification / prəυ r mspes f ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun detailed informa-

tion about a program’s abilities, features and methods

program stack / prəυ r m st k/ noun a section of memory reserved for storing temporary system or program data

program statement / prəυ r mste tmənt/ noun a high level program in-

struction that is made up of a number of machine code instructions

program status word / prəυ r mste təs w d/ noun a word which con-

tains a number of status bits, such as carry flag, zero flag, overflow bit, etc. Abbr

PSW

program status word register

/ prəυ r m ste təs w d red' stə/ noun a register which contains a number of status bits, such as carry flag, zero flag, overflow flag. Also called PSW register program step / prəυ r m step/ noun one operation within a program, usually a single instruction

program storage / prəυ r mstɔ r d'/ noun a section of main memory in which programs, rather than operating system or data, can be stored

program structure / prəυ r mstr ktʃə/ noun the way in which sections

of program code are interlinked and operate

program testing / prəυ r m test ŋ/ noun the process of testing a new program with test data to ensure that it functions correctly

program trading / prəυ r mtre d ŋ/ noun the automatic buying and selling of large quantities of shares using computer programs that monitor price changes

program verification / prəυ r mver f ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun a number of tests

and checks performed to ensure that a program functions correctly

progressive scanning /prəυ res vsk n ŋ/ noun a method of displaying and transmitting video images in which each line of the image is displayed consecutively, unlike non-interlaced image, which shows alternate lines. scan conversion

project noun / prɒd'ekt/ a planned task

His latest project is computerising the sales team. verb /prə d'ekt/ to forecast

future figures from a set of data The pro-

jected sales of the new PC.

projection /prə d'ekʃən/ noun the forecasting of a situation from a set of data

The projection indicates that sales will

increase.

PROLOG / prəυlɒ / noun a high-level programming language using logical operations for artificial intelligence and data retrieval applications. Full form program-

ming in logic

PROM /prɒm/ noun 1. read-only memory that can be programmed by the user, as distinct from ROM, which is programmed by the manufacturer. Full form programmable read-only memory 2. an electronic device in which data can be stored. Full form programmable memory

PROM blaster / b nə/, PROM burner, PROM programmer / prəυ r mə/

noun an electronic device used to program

a PROM

prompt /prɒmpt/ noun a message or character displayed to remind the user that an input is expected The prompt READY indicates that the system is available to re-

ceive instructions.

propagate / prɒpə e t/ verb to travel

or spread

propagated error / prɒpə e t d erə/ noun one error in a process that has affect-

ed later operations

propagating error / prɒpə e t ŋ erə/ noun an error that occurs in one place or operation and affects another operation or process

propagation delay / prɒpə e ʃ(ə)n d le / noun 1. the time taken for an output to appear in a logic gate after the input is applied 2. the time taken for a data bit to travel over a network from the source to

the destination

propagation time / prɒpə e ʃ(ə)n

ta m/ noun same as gate delay properties / prɒpətiz/ noun (in Win-

dows) the attributes of a file or object

proportionally spaced /prəpɔ ʃ(ə)nəli spe st/ adjective referring to

a font in which each letter takes a space proportional to the character width. Compare monospaced

proprietary file format /prəpra ət(ə)ri fa l fɔ m t/ noun a method

of storing data devised by a company for

its products and incompatible with other products You cannot read this spreadsheet file because my software saves it in a

proprietary file format.

protected field /prə tekt d fi ld/ noun a storage or display area that cannot be al-

tered by the user

protected location /prə tekt d ləυke ʃ(ə)n/ noun a memory location that cannot be altered or cannot be accessed

without authorisation

protected mode /prə tekt d məυd/ noun the operating mode of an 80286 Intel processor or higher that supports multi-

tasking, virtual memory and data security protected storage /prə tekt d

stɔ r d'/ noun a section of memory that

cannot be altered

protection key /prə tekʃən ki / noun a signal checked to see if a program can access a section of memory

protection master /prə tekʃənmɑ stə/ noun a spare copy of a master

film or tape

protocol / prəυtəkɒl/ noun the preagreed signals, codes and rules to be used

for data exchange between systems protocol stack / prəυtəυkɒl st k/

noun the separate parts of a protocol, each with a different function, that work together to provide a complete set of network

functions

protocol standards / prəυtəυkɒlst ndədz/ plural noun standards laid

down to allow data exchange between any computer system conforming to the stand-

ard

prototype / prəυtə ta p/ noun the first working model of a device or program, which is then tested and adapted to im-

prove it

prototyping / prəυtəta p ŋ/ noun the

process of making a prototype

proximity operator /prɒk s m tiɒpəre tə/ noun a Boolean operator that

directs a search engine making a text search to locate pages in which the words it is looking for are near one another in any

direction

proxy agent / prɒksi e d'ənt/ noun a piece of software that can translate network management commands to allow management software to control a device

that uses a different protocol

proxy server / prɒksi s və/ noun a computer that stores copies of files and data normally held on a slow server and so

allows users to access files and data quickly. Proxy servers are often used as a firewall between an intranet in a company and the public Internet.

PrtSc / pr nt skri n/ noun (on an IBM PC keyboard) a key that sends the contents of the current screen to the printer. Full form print screen

pS / pi es/ abbr picosecond

PS/2 a trade name for a range of IBM PC computers that are software compatible with the original IBM PC, but use a different MCA expansion bus. MCA pseudo- /sju dəυ/ prefix similar to something, but not genuine pseudo-code / sju dəυ kəυd/ noun

English sentence structures, used to describe program instructions that are translated at a later date into machine code pseudo-digital / sju dəυ d d' t(ə)l/ adjective referring to modulated analog signals that are produced by a modem and transmitted over telephone lines

pseudo-instruction / sju dəυ nstr kʃən/ noun a label in an assembly

language program that represents a number of instructions pseudo-operation / sju dəυ ɒpəre ʃ(ə)n/ noun a command in an assembler program that controls the assembler rather than producing machine code pseudo-random / sju dəυ r ndəm/ noun a generated sequence that appears random but is repeated over a long period

pseudo-random number generator / sju dəυ r ndəm n mbəd'enəre tə/ noun a piece of hardware or

software that produces pseudo-random numbers

pseudo-static / sju dəυ st t k/ adjective referring to dynamic RAM memory chips that contain circuitry to refresh the contents and so have the same appearance as a static RAM component

PSN abbr packet switched network PSS abbr packet switching system

PSU / pi es ju / noun an electrical circuit that provides certain direct current voltage and current levels from an alternating current source to other electrical circuits. Full form power supply unit

COMMENT: A PSU will regulate, smooth and step down a higher voltage supply for use in small electronic equipment.

PSW abbr processor status word PTR abbr paper tape reader

public access terminal / p bl kkses t m n(ə)l/ noun a terminal that

can be used by anyone to access a computer

public data network / p bl k de tənetw k/ noun a data transmission service for the public, e.g. the main telephone system in a country. Abbr PDN

public domain / p bl k dəυ me n/ noun the status of documents, text or programs that are not protected by copyright and can be copied by anyone. Abbr PD. Compare shareware program which is in the public domain a program which is not protected by copyright

public key cipher system / p bl k ki sa fə s stəm/ noun a cipher that uses

a public key to encrypt messages and a secret key to decrypt them. Conventional cipher systems use one secret key to encrypt and decrypt messages.

public key encryption / p bl k ki nkr pʃ(ə)n/ noun a method of encrypting data that uses one key to encrypt the data and another different key to decrypt the data

publish / p bl ʃ/ verb to produce and sell software

pull /pυl/ verb to remove data from a stack

pull-down menu / pυl daυn menju / noun a set of options that are displayed below the relevant entry on a menu-bar. Compare pop-down menu

pull up / pυl p/ verb to pull up a line to connect or set a line to a voltage level

Pull up the input line to a logic one by connecting it to 5 volts.

pulse /p ls/ noun a short period of a voltage level verb to apply a short-dura- tion voltage level to a circuit We pulsed the input but it still would not work.

COMMENT: Electric pulse can be used to transmit information, as the binary digits 0 and 1 correspond to ‘no pulse’ and ‘pulse’ (the voltage level used to distinguish the binary digits 0 and 1, is often zero and 5 or 12 volts, with the pulse width depending on transmission rate).

pulse-code modulation / p ls kəυdmɒdjυ le ʃ(ə)n/ noun full form of PCM

pulse-dialling / p ls da əl ŋ/ noun telephone dialling that dials a telephone number by sending a series of pulses along the line

pulse stream / p ls stri m/ noun a continuous series of similar pulses

pulse train / p ls tre n/ noun same as pulse stream

punch /p ntʃ/ noun a device for making holes in punched cards verb to make a

hole in something

punch card / p ntʃ kɑ d/ noun a small piece of card which contains holes repre-

senting various instructions or data punch-down block / p ntʃ daυn

blɒk/ noun a device used in a local area

network to connect UTP cable punched card / p ntʃt kɑ d/ noun

same as punch card

punched card reader / p ntʃd kɑ dri də/ noun a device that transforms data on a punched card to a form that can be

recognized by a computer

punched code / p ntʃd kəυd/ noun a combination of holes that represent char-

acters in a punched card

punched tag / p ntʃd t / noun a card attached to a product in a shop, with punched holes containing data about the

product

punched tape1 / p ntʃd te p/, punched paper tape noun a strip of paper tape that contains holes to represent

data

punched tape2 / p ntʃd te p/ noun

same as paper tape

punctuation mark / p ŋktʃu e ʃ(ə)n mɑ k/ noun a printing symbol such as a

comma or full stop, used for making the

meaning of text clear

pure code / pjυə kəυd/ noun a code that does not modify itself during execution

purge /p d'/ verb to remove unnecessary or out-of-date data from a file or disk

Each month, I purge the disk of all the

old email messages.

pushbutton / pυʃb t(ə)n/ adjective

which works by pressing on a button

push-down list / pυʃdaυn l st/, push-down stack /pυʃ daυn/ noun a

method of storing data in which the last item stored is always at the same location, the rest of the list being pushed down by one address

push instruction /pυʃ n str kʃən/, push operation noun non-synchro- nous sound, non-sync sound a computer instruction that stores data on a LIFO

list or stack

push technology / pυʃ tek nɒləd'i/ noun Internet technology that allows subscribers to receive customised information directly

push-up list /st k/, push-up stack noun a method of storing data in which the last item stored is added at the bottom of the list. FIFO

put /pυt/ verb to push or place data onto a stack

QAM abbr quadrature amplitude modulation

QBE / kju bi i / noun a simple language used to retrieve information from a database management system by, normally, entering a query with known values, which is then matched with the database and used to retrieve the correct data In most QBE databases, the query form looks like the record format in the database – re-

trieving data is as easy as filling in a form.

Full form query by example

Q Channel /kju tʃ n(ə)l/ noun (in a CD audio disc) one of the eight information channels that holds data identifying the track and the absolute playing time

QISAM noun an indexed sequential file that is read item by item into a buffer. Full form queued indexed sequential access method

QL abbr query language

QOS abbr quality of service

QSAM / kju es e em/ noun queue of blocks waiting to be processed, which are retrieved using a sequential access method. Full form queued sequential access method

quad /kwɒd/ adjective operating at four times the standard speed, or processing

four times the standard amount of data quadbit / kwɒdb t/ noun four bits that

are used by modems to increase transmis-

sion rates when using QAM

quad density /kwɒd densəti/ noun four bits of data stored in the usual place of one

quadding / kwɒd ŋ/ noun the insertion

of spaces into text to fill out a line quadr- /kwɒdr/ prefix four

quadrature amplitude modulation

/ kwɒdtrətʃə mpl tju d mɒdjule ʃ(ə)n/ noun a data encoding method used by high-speed modems (transmitting at rates above 2,400bps). It combines amplitude modulation and phase modulation to increase the data transmission rate.

Abbr QAM

quadrature encoding / kwɒdtrətʃə

n kəυd ŋ/ noun a system used to determine the direction in which a mouse is being moved. In a mechanical mouse, two sensors send signals that describe its horizontal and vertical movements, these signals being transmitted using quadrature

encoding.

quadruplex / kwɒdrυpleks/ noun a set

of four signals combined into a single one quad-speed drive / kwɒd spi d

dra v/ noun a CD-ROM drive that spins the disc at four times the speed of a singlespeed drive, providing higher data throughput of 600Kbps and shorter seek

times

quality control / kwɒl ti kən trəυl/ noun the process of checking that the qual-

ity of a product is good

quality of service / kwɒl ti əvs v s/ noun the degree to which a network can transfer information without er-

ror or fault

Quantel / kwɒntel/ the hardware graphics company that developed Paintbox and

Harry production graphics systems quantifiable / kwɒnt fa əb(ə)l/ adjec-

tive which can be quantified The effect of the change in the pricing structure is not quantifiable.

quantifier / kwɒnt fa ə/ noun a sign or symbol that indicates the quantity or range of a predicate

quantify / kwɒnt fa / verb to quantify the effect of something to show the effect of something in figures It is impossible to quantify the effect of the new computer system on our production. quantisation, quantization noun the conversion of an analog signal to a numerical representation

quantisation error / kwɒn te ʃ(ə)nerə/ noun an error in converting an analog signal into a numerical form, owing to limited accuracy or a rapidly changing signal quantise, quantize verb to convert an analog signal into a numerical representation The input signal is quantized by an analog to digital converter.

quantiser, quantizer noun a device used to convert an analog input signal to a numerical form, that can be processed by a computer

quantising noise / kwɒnta z ŋ nɔ z/ noun noise on a signal caused by inaccuracies in the quantising process

quantity / kwɒnt ti/ noun the amount or number of items A small quantity of illegal copies of the program have been imported. adjective in large amounts

The company offers a discount for quantity purchases.

quantum / kwɒntəm/ noun (in communications) a packet of data that is the result of a signal being quantised

quartz clock / kwɔ ts klɒk/, quartz crystal clock / kwɔ ts kr stəl klɒk/

noun a small slice of quartz crystal that vibrates at a certain frequency when an electrical voltage is supplied, used as a very accurate clock signal for computers and other high precision timing applications quasi- /kwe za / prefix almost, or similar to

quasi-instruction / kwe za nstr kʃən/ noun a label in an assembly

program that represents a number of instructions

quaternary / kwɔ t nəri/ adjective existing as four bits, levels or objects

quaternary level quantization /kwət nəri lev(ə)l kwɒnta ze ʃ(ə)n/

noun the use of four bits of data in an A/D conversion process

query by example / kw əri bazɑ mpəl/ noun full form of QBE

query facility / kw əri fə s l ti/ noun a program, usually a database or retrieval system, that allows the user to ask questions and receive answers or access certain

information according to the query query language / kw əri l ŋ w d'/

noun a language in a database management system that allows a database to be

searched and queried easily. Abbr QL query message / kw əri mes d'/

noun a message sent to an object to find out the value of one of the object’s properties, e.g. its name, active state or position

query processing / kw əriprəυses ŋ/ noun the processing of que-

ries, either by extracting information from a database or by translating query com-

mands from a query language

query window / kw əri w ndəυ/ noun

1. a window that appears when an error has occurred, asking the user what action they would like to take 2. a window that is displayed with fields a user can fill in to

search a database

question mark / kweʃtʃən mɑ k/ noun the character ( ? ) that is often used as a wildcard to indicate that any single character in the position will produce a match To find all the letters, use the command DIR LETTER?DOC which will list LETTER1.DOC, LETTER2.DOC and LETTER3.DOC. asterisk

queue /kju / noun a list of data or tasks that are waiting to be processed, or a series of documents that are dealt with in order verb to add more data or tasks to the end of a queue

queued access method / kju dkses meθəd/ noun a programming

method that minimises input/output delays by ensuring that data transferred between software and an I/O device is synchronised with the I/O device

queued indexed sequential access method / kju d ndeksd skwenʃəl kses meθəd/ noun full form

of QISAM

queue discipline /kju d sə pl n/ noun a method used as the queue structure, either LIFO or FIFO

queued sequential access method / kju d s kwenʃəl kses meθəd/

noun full form of QSAM

queue management /kjum n d'mənt/, queue manager /kju

m n d'ə/ noun software which orders tasks to be processed This is a new soft-

ware spooler with a built-in queue management.

queuing time / kju ŋ ta m/ noun the period of time messages have to wait before they can be processed or transmitted

QuickDraw / kw kdrɔ / (in an Apple Macintosh) a trade name for the graphics routines built into the Macintosh’s operating system that control displayed text and images

quick format /kw k fɔ m t/ noun a command that does not delete all the existing data on a floppy disk during a format process. It is faster than a full format and allows data to be recovered.

quicksort / kw ksɔ t/ noun a very rapid file sorting and ordering method

QuickTime / kw kta m/ (in an Apple Macintosh) a trade name for the graphics routines built into the Macintosh’s operating system that allow windows, boxes and graphic objects, including animation and video files, to be displayed

quiescent /kwi es(ə)nt/ adjective referring to a process, circuit or device in a state in which no input signal is applied quintet /kw n tet/ noun a byte made up of five bits

quit /kw t/ verb to leave a system or a program Do not forget to save your text before you quit the system.

quotation /kwəυ te ʃ(ə)n/ noun part of a text borrowed from another text quotation marks /kwəυ te ʃ(ə)n mɑ ks/ noun punctuation marks used for enclosing text to show that it has been quoted from another source

quote /kwəυt/ verb to repeat words used by someone else

quotes /kwəυts/ plural noun quotation marks (informal)

quotient / kwəυʃ(ə)nt/ noun the result of one number divided by another

COMMENT: When two numbers are divided, the answer is made up of a quotient and a remainder (the fractional part). 16 divided by 4 is equal to a quotient of 4 and zero remainder; 16 divided by 5 is equal to a quotient of 3 and a remainder of 1.

quoting / kwəυt ŋ/ noun a feature of many electronic mail applications that allows you to reply to a message and include the text of the original message

QWERTY keyboard / kw tiki bɔ d/ noun a standard English language key layout. The first six letters on the top left row of keys are QWERTY.