binary. (1) Pertaining to a selection, choice,
or
condition
that
has two possible values
or
states. (2) Pertaining
to
a fixed radix
numeration system having a radix of
2.
binary digit. (1)
In
binary notation, either
of
the characters 0
or
1.
(2) Synonymous with bit.
binary notation.
Any
notation
that
uses two different characters,
usually the binary digits 0
and
1.
binary synchronous communications (BSC). A uniform procedure,
using a standardized set
of
control characters
and
control
character sequences for synchronous transmission
of
binary-coded
data
between
stations.
BIOS.
Basic
input/output
system.
bit. Synonym for binary digit
bits per second (bps). A unit
of
measurement representing the
number
of discrete binary digits transmitted by a device in one
second.
block. (1) A string
of
records, a string
of
words,
or
a character
string formed for technical
or
logic reasons
to
be
treated
as
an
entity. (2) A set of things, such as words, characters,
or
digits,
treated
as a unit.
block-check character (BCC).
In
cyclic redundancy checking, a
character
that
is transmitted
by
the sender after each message
block
and
is compared with a block-check character computed by
the
receiver
to
determine if
the
transmission was successful.
boolean operation. (1)
Any
operation in which each of the
operands
and
the result take one of two values. (2)
An
operation
that
follows the rules
of
boolean algebra.
bootstrap. A technique
or
device designed
to
bring itself into a
desired state
by
means
of
its
own
action; for example, a machine
routine whose first few instructions are sufficient
to
bring the rest
of
itself into the computer from
an
input device.
bps. Bits
per
second.
Glossary-4
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