IT Jargon Explained

IT Jargon Explained P

Palmtop A palmtop (or Personal Digital Assistant) is basically a computer in the form of an electronic organiser, like the Psion Organiser and Apple Newton. They are becoming increasingly more powerful and can be used as an alternative to laptops, although their keyboards and displays are considerably much smaller.

PC Personal computer.

PCN PCN (Personal Communications Network) is a digital network technology operated by some of the mobile phone network operators.

PDA A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant, also known as a palmtop) is basically a computer in the form of an electronic organiser, like the Psion Organiser and Apple Newton. They are becoming increasingly more powerful and can be used as an alternative to laptops, although their keyboards and displays are considerably much smaller.

POP It is important that when you dial to log on to the Internet, you do so through a local Point-of-Presence (POP). This means that all your calls connections are charged at the local rate phone charges, i.e. the same STD code or an 0345/0645/0990 number. If you have to call long-distance, your phone bill would soon mount up.

Plug & play A Windows 95 option which allows multimedia peripherals, such as a CD-ROM drive, to be automatically recognised and set up to work by the operating system.

Peer-to-peer One of the simplest network arrangements, involving linking a series of computers together without the use of a server.

Peripheral A peripheral refers to anything that is not part of the main computer unit such as the keyboard, monitor or printer.

Proprietary An operating system that can only be used on one brand of computer with software especially written for that system.

Protocol The set of rules which govern the format and control of messages being sent around the network.