character based
Describes programs capable of displaying only ASCII (and extended ASCII) characters. Character-based programs treat a display screen as an array of boxes, each of which can hold one character. When in text mode, for example, PC screens are typically divided into 25 rows and 80 columns. In contrast, graphics-based programs treat the display screen as an array of millions of pixels. Characters and other objects are formed by illuminating patterns of pixels.
Because the IBM extended ASCII character set includes shapes for drawing pictures, character-based programs are capable of simulating some graphics objects. For example, character-based programs can display windows and menus, bar charts, and other shapes that consist primarily of straight lines. However, they cannot represent more complicated objects that contain curves.
Unlike PCs, the Macintosh computer is a graphics-based machine. All programs that run on a Macintosh computer are graphics based.
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- character generator
Abbreviated as CG, in video editing a character generator is the software or hardware that produces animated text for insertion in video streams. Some character generators may also be able to generate graphics. Software character generators are often integrated into video-editing applications and are widely available in off-the shelf software packages. Hardware-based character generators are […]
- character mode
Many video adapters support several different modes of resolution. All such modes are divided into two general categories: character mode (also called text mode) and graphics mode. In character mode, the display screen is treated as an array of blocks, each of which can hold one ASCII character. In graphics mode, the display screen is […]
- Character Set
A defined list of characters recognized by the computer hardware and software. Each character is represented by a number. The ASCII character set, for example, uses the numbers 0 through 127 to represent all English characters as well as special control characters. European ISO character sets are similar to ASCII, but they contain additional characters […]
- character string
A series of characters manipulated as a group. A character string differs from a name in that it does not represent anything — a name stands for some other object. A character string is often specified by enclosing the characters in single or double quotes. For example, WASHINGTON would be a name, but ‘WASHINGTON’ and […]
- character treatment
The use of all caps or any standard form of treating letters in a coding or typography project.