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GLOSSARY
46
bits per second (bps)
The bits (binary digits) per second rate.
Thousands of bits per second are expressed
as kilobits per second or Kbps.
.bmp
This DOS three-character extension at the
end of a file name identifies the file contents as
bit-mapped graphics (FILENAME.BMP).
byte
A group of binary digits stored and operated
upon as a unit. In user documentation, the
term usually refers to 8-bit units or
characters. One kilobyte (KB) is equal to
1,024 bytes or characters; 640 KB indicates
655,360 bytes or characters.
carrier
A tone signifying a connection the modem can
alter to communicate data across telephone
lines.
character
A representation, coded in binary digits, of a
letter, number, or other symbol.
characters per second (CPS)
A data transfer rate generally estimated from
the bit rate and the character length. For
example, at 2400 bps, 8-bit characters with
start/stop bits (for a total of ten bits per
character) will be transmitted at a rate of
approximately 240 characters per second
(cps). Some protocols employ advanced
techniques, such as longer transmission frames
and data compression, to increase cps.