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Background Printing - A software application that runs on a computer as a background process, allowing the user to work on other tasks while a document is being printed. A print server-is a combination of hardware and software that stores documents sent to it over a network and manages the printing of the documents on a printer. A print server completely frees a computer of a printing task so that the computer is free to be used for other work.
Background - An aspect of multitasking capability. A program can run and perform tasks in the background while another program is being used in the foreground.
Backspace - To move the cursor to the left.
Backup Copy - A duplicate of a disk. Making a backup copy of a disk is like making a photocopy of a paper document.
Bandwidth - The capacity of a network connection, measured in bits or bytes per second, for carrying data.
Base Station - The physical wireless newtork access point to the Internet.
BASIC - Acronym for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. The most popular language for personal computers; a version of it is built into your Apple IIgs.
Baud - Baud is an older measurement for data transmission speed. One baud is one change of electronic state per second. A more accurate (and therefore more widely used) term is bps (bits per second).
Berkeley Software Distribution BSD - Formerly known as the Berkeley version of UNIX, BSD is now simply called the BSD operating system. The BSD portion of Mac OS X is based on 4.4BSD Lite 2 and FreeBSD, a flavor of 4.4BSD.
Binary Numbering System - A system in which every number is expressed as a combination of zeros and ones. It's perfectly suited to computers because the computer's microprocessor is made up of switches like light switches that can be either on or off. On is represented as the number 1; off as 0.
BIND Berkeley Internet Name Domain - The program included with Mac OS X Server that implements DNS. The program is also called the name daemon, or named, when the program is running.
BIOS - basic input/output system.
Bit Rate - The speed at which bits are transmitted on a network, usually expressed in bits per second.
Bit - Contraction of the words binary and digit. The smallest item of useful information a computer can handle. Usually represented as a 1 or a 0. Eight bits equal one byte.
Bitmap - A pixel-by-pixel representation of an object.
Blower - A blower is a server-specific fan that pulls air through the server's case, keeping the system cool. A fan, on the other hand, typically blows air into a case to keep it circulating. When referring to a fan in a server, use the term blower.
Boot ROM - Low-level instructions used by a computer in the first stages of starting up.
Boot - To start up a computer.
Bps - Bits per second. A measurement of the speed at which data travels from one place to another; sometimes expressed as Kbps (thousands of bits per second) or Mbps (millions of bits per second).
Bridge - A device that connects two networks of the same type together such as two Ethernet networks. The connected networks form a single large network. A router-is a device that connects networks together, isolating traffic within each network. The networks can be of the same type for example, two Ethernet networks or of different types for example, Token Ring and Ethernet. A router receives data transmitted from other networks and retransmits it to its proper destination over the most efficient route.
Broadcast User - A user who has permission to broadcast to the streaming server. The broadcast user name and password are set in the General Settings pane of Streaming Server Admin and are used in conjunction with announced broadcasts. It is not necessary to create a broadcast user for UDP broadcasts.
Broadcast - Transmitting one copy of a stream over the whole network.
Browser Plug-In - Software that you attach to a browser to enable it to display specific data formats.
Buffer - An area of memory where information is kept until the computer or a peripheral device is ready to deal with it. Sort of an overflow tank for the microprocessor.
Bug - An error in an application or a problem with hardware. The expression comes from the early days of computing when a moth flew into a room-size computer and caused a breakdown.
Bulletin Board System-Abbreviated BBS. A computerized version of the bulletin boards frequently found in grocery stores places to leave messages and to advertise things you want to buy or sell. One thing you get from a computerized bulletin board that you can't get from a cork board is free software.
Bus - A network layout that uses a single cable to connect all the devices in a sequential line. Messages are broadcast along the whole bus, and each network device listens for and receives messages directed to its unique address.
Button - The raised area on top of the mouse. You press it when you want to choose from a menu or perform other activities in mouse-based applications. Also, in mouse-based applications, a rectangle with rounded corners and a word inside that you click to designate, confirm, or cancel an action.
Byte - A sequence of eight bits that represents an instruction, a letter, a number, or a punctuation mark.