PAL
A primarily European television broadcast standard, also used in New Zealand and Australia.
palette
The selection of colors made available to a screen.
parallel port
An external port used for printers, networking, scanners, and other hardware devices.
parameter
A small message or option sent to a program.
parameter passing
The process of sending messages to a file from the Shell or CLI.
parent
The directory which contains the current directory.
parsing
The process of extracting a substring from a parent string.
· When a document is read by a human being, the sentences are parsed by the reader into phrases or individual words.
particle animation
3D animation technique that determines how objects behave in a given environment, allowing for gravity, friction, wind, magnetism, and acceleration.
partition
A finite area on a device.
· A computer disk is similar to a file cabinet. A partition would be one of the drawers of a file cabinet. Disk
partitions can be equal in size, or they may vary, depending on how they were formatted when first used.
pass through
A hardware interface which is duplicated on an expansion device such that multiple devices may be used on a single expansion slot.
path
A list of directories that is searched whenever a command is entered at the Shell or CLI.
· Consider a file cabinet, containing folders. These folders may be sorted alphabetically, or based upon how often
they are used. A logical search path for a file cabinet would be to start at the first folder in the drawer and search each folder name for the correct one.
pattern matching
The process of recognizing multiple files using common features of the filenames.
Paula
The Amiga's audio, serial, and floppy control chip.
PCMCIA
An expansion bus using small credit-card like memory storage units.
PD Software
Public Doman freely distributable software.
pen
A color from the palette capable of drawing graphics on the screen.
period
The elapsed time between sound samples.
personal video production
A term used to describe desktop
video, when made in reference to the Video Toaster, due to the large number of amateurs and professionals using the Video Toaster.
perspective
The technique or method used to display a three dimensional image in a two dimensional way, using vanishing points and horizons.
PhonePak
A telephone voice mail and FAX system, usable on any Zorro II equipped Amiga. Used primarily to run phone systems,
allowing multiple mailboxes and incoming and outgoing FAX transmissions.
Photo CD
A file format which stores 24 BIT pictures on CD ROM, developed from consumer photo cameras.
physical drive
The hardware currently performing file operations on a system, as opposed to a logical drive.
PIN1
The first pin on a drive cable that matches with the red colored pin of the interface ribbon.
PIP
Picture In Picture video display which superimposes a live video image over another live video image.
pipe
A programming structure which allows one program to direct output to another program.
· A secretary is asked to write a letter. After finishing it, she may store it overnight in her outgoing mail, or she can place it in an envelope and give it directly to a mailman.
Giving it directly to another person, as opposed to that person receiving it in a storage area, is an example of a pipe.
piracy
The act of destroying a software market, and henceforth
a hardware market, by duplicating software and providing it freely to individuals who have not purchased the software legally.
pixel
The Picture Element, a small colored dot used to create any image.
pixel aspect ratio
See Aspect Ratio.
planar view
A view of an object or diagram, showing only two axis, with no depth. This allows objects to be measured and modified accurately.
platter
A disk within a hard disk drive which contains information. Most hard drives contain multiple platters within the drive, as
opposed to a CD-ROM or floppy disk which only contains one disk platter.
PLink
American PeopleLink, a pay computer network, no longer in service.
plotter
A hardware device, much like a printer, that draws images using felt pens of various sizes and colors.
point
A data location, on a plane or in 3D space. Used to connect edges or define polygons in 3D modelers.
pointer
1. An onscreen image, such as an arrow, used to direct the input from a user.
2. An address of a location in memory which is to be accessed whenever the pointer is requested, allowing memory to be shared without duplicating large amounts of information.
point light
A type of light source that emits lights in a pinpoint fashion, causing the light rays to concentrate on a small point or area.
polling
The process of waiting for data by occasionally checking to see if data is ready to be retrieved.
polygon
A surface defined by three or more points, connected by edges. A polygon must be assigned to the points in order to be used.
pop up menu
A menu which is generally hidden, but appears when a gadget is selected, a mouse button is pushed, or a keyboard sequence is pressed.
port
An accessible location of an application designed to send and receive messages, such as with ARexx.
portable
A computer which is easily moved from one place to another, and uses its own battery powered energy supply, internal expansion devices, and flat panel LCD displays.
Portal
A computer network for files and messages. Monthly fee required. May also include an hourly fee for most subscribers.
portrait
An image display mode which displays the imagery with the width smaller than the height, as opposed to a landscaped image.
postfix notation
The use of operators following a variable or group of variables. The expression (3 + 5) would be expressed as 3 5 +.
PostScript
A popular printing format for desktop publishing software.
PostScript Font
A scalable font usable with Lightwave 3.0 to create 3D font objects.
PostScript printer
A laser printer which is capable of decoding and interpreting PostScript files.
power down
The process of turning off a computer.
power supply
A device which provides power to a computer, such as the RAM, hard disk drive, and floppy disk drive.
power up
The process of turning on a computer. Also the name of CBM's promotional upgrades.
precedence
The order by which an equation is processed by a programming language.
precision
The amount of information stored in a numeric value, with more precise numbers containing more decimal positions.
prefix notation
The use of operators preceeding a variable or group of variables.
preview window
A window used for viewing what an image may look like when finalized. Often much smaller than the real image, this is intended to decrease the amount of
time required to generate the final image at the expense of quality and detail.
primitive
A simple 3D geometric figure. Also a term used to describe most IBM compatible machines.
printer
A hardware device that outputs a file to paper.
· A typewriter, cash register, paper copier, and a FAX machine are all types of printers or similar technology.
priority
A value assigned to a task to determine how frequently it may have access to the CPU or devices.
language
procedural language
A language that requires the programmer to specify the steps required to perform an operation.
procedural maps
A type of algorythmic texture mapping.
procedure
A related section of programming code that is called from other sections of a program.
process
A software program or element being used by the system.
Prodigy
A pay service network which provides email, news, and file transfers, over a modem, using custom software.
program
A binary file used to perform a specific operation on a computer system. Also referred to as applications, tools, utilities, scripts, or commands.
programming language
A set of commands and functions used by a compiler or interpreter to perform a specific set of operations.
progress indicator
A bar graph used to show the proportion of time remaining to complete an operation.
projection maps
A type of texture mapping.
PROLOG
A programming language using queries to perform operations.
prompt
The location of the screen and any symbols used to identify the location where input is displayed from the keyboard.
proportional text
Any characters that are not of fixed width, such that smaller and thinner characters require less space
than wider and larger characters. Generally these characters have a fixed height but a dynamic width.
protection BIT
A toggle used to define specific characteristics of a file.
protocol
The method used to transfer information between two data sources, such as two computers over a modem.
pseudo code
An algorithm used to explain how a function should operate, before translating it into compilable source code, using a programming language.
public domain software
Software which is released for any person to use for any purpose, without restrictions.
pull down menu
A menu layout on a screen or window, accessible by pressing the right mouse button or the right Amiga key of the keyboard.
pure file
A file that is re-entrant, allowing the file to be used multiple times without reloading the file into memory.
purge
The process of deleting a file or removing information from memory.