parallel
Refers to processes that occur simultaneously. Printers and other devices are said to be either parallel or serial. Parallel means the device is capable of receiving more than one bit at a time (that is, it receives several bits in parallel). Most modern printers are parallel.
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- parallel interface
A channel capable of transferring more than one bit simultaneously. Almost all personal computers come with at least one parallel interface. The other type of interface is a serial interfaces.
- Parallel Port
A parallel interface for connecting an external device such as a printer. Most personal computers have both a parallel port and at least one serial port. On PCs, the parallel port uses a 25-pin connector (type DB-25) and is used to connect printers, computers and other devices that need relatively high bandwidth. It is often […]
- Parallel Processing
The simultaneous use of more than one CPU to execute a program. Ideally, parallel processing makes a program run faster because there are more engines (CPUs) running it. In practice, it is often difficult to divide a program in such a way that separate CPUs can execute different portions without interfering with each other. Most […]
- Parameter
(1) Characteristic. For example, specifying parameters means defining the characteristics of something. In general, parameters are used to customize a program. For example, filenames, page lengths, and font specifications could all be considered parameters. (2) In programming, the term parameter is synonymous with argument, a value that is passed to a routine.
- paravirtual
A virtual machine (VM) mode in which operating systems do not require complete emulation of hardware devices. Paravirtual mode uses an API to interact with the host virtualization platform. Paravirtual mode doesn’t require special virtualization technology hardware. Contrast with full virtualization.