CAI: See computer-aided instruction.

Caps Lock: A key that you can lock into place so that subsequent letters you type will come out capitalized. Caps Lock doesn't affect nonalphabet keys.

card: A circuit board that you can plug into a slot inside the Apple IIGS to expand the computer's memory or give it the means to communicate with a hard disk, a braille printer, or some other peripheral device.

carriage return: Abbreviated CR. A nonprinting character that tells the computer or printer to end a line of text and start a new one. It's used to end paragraphs. Even though you can't see them, you can delete carriage returns the same way you delete other characters.

case: The outer covering of the computer.

catalog: See directory.

CD ROM Player: Stands for compact disc. A device that reads information from a super-high-capacity disc (550 megabytes and more) by using laser technology. Like a phonograph record, you can play the disc, but you can't record information on it.

cell: The intersection of a row and a column in a spreadsheet. A cell can hold a number, label, function, or formula.

character: A letter, number, or other symbol.

character generator: The integrated circuit responsible for printing characters on the screen.

character set: The letters, numbers, and symbols that can be generated by pressing keys on a keyboard.

chip: A small silicon wafer containing thousands of microscopic components. See also integrated circuit.

choose: To pick a command from a menu. Usually you do this after selecting something for the Apple IIGS to act on.

circuit board: See main circuit board.

circuitry: A network of wires, chips, resistors, and other electronic devices and connections.

Clear: A key on the numeric keypad. Pressing Clear works the same as pressing Control-X. Pressing Control-X while writing a BASIC program cancels the line you're typing.

click: To position the pointer on something, then press and quickly release the mouse button.

clip art application: Electronic pictures that you can clip from one disk or document into another. You can buy disks of clip art and use these professional-quality drawings to illustrate your documents.

Clipboard: A special part of memory that stores the most recent thing you cut. You can paste the contents of the Clipboard into other parts of your document

clock rate: The rate at which bits move from one internal computer component to another.

close box: The small box on the far-left side in the title bar of an active window. Clicking a close box closes the window.

COBOL: Acronym for COmmon Business Oriented Language. A business-oriented programming language especially suited to applications involving large amounts of data.

column: A way of designating the number of characters that fit on the computer's display. A column is one character wide.

command: A word or character that causes the computer to do something.

Glossary

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