Click the Modems tab in XP, and then click the Add button. In Windows 98, click the

Glossary Direct Cable Connection DCC Sharing resources between two computers over just a cable, using no network card. Windows includes the software necessary to set up this slow, but effective, networking scheme. direct memory access See DMA. directory folder Folders in Windows are the same as directories in DOS. Use a directory to contain files for an application, data, the system files, and so on. DirectX A library of codes in Windows that presents a standardized format for programming. DirectX makes an application, such as a game, accessible to a wide variety of hardware features. Some hardware might not be fully compatible with DirectX. disk cache Part of the system’s RAM that’s reserved for the data being read from a disk, which allows for faster access. The memory is cleared each time the computer is turned off, so the data in the cache is only temporary. distro A Linux distribution that is based on the Linux kernel, to which enhancements have been added. DMA direct memory access A method of transferring information directly from a hard disk, for example, into memory by bypassing the processor. DNS See Domain Name System. docking station You use a docking station with a portable computer to attach additional equipment, such as speakers, CD-ROM, or keyboard, and to plug the portable into a network. document management software Document management is a method of organizing multiple documents for access by the members of the group. Each user can view other documents and contribute her or his own. Users also can copy, save, and search documents in the database. domain name IP addresses are difficult to remember, so domain names can also represent a computer on the Internet. Microsoft’s domain name, for example, is www.microsoft.com. Domain names usually start with www, which stands for World Wide Web; however, www is not always included in an address. Some addresses route to a different server and therefore use different prefixes than www; other addresses use a generic routing, so if you don’t use www, the link finds its way on its own. Domain Name Server See Domain Name System. Domain Name System DNS A method of matching IP addresses with domain names. When you type a domain name in the URL address area of your browser, that query is transmitted to a Domain Name Server. A Domain Name Server maintains a database of domain names and IP addresses. The Domain Name Server finds the IP address that matches the domain name and then sends your request on to that server. The process is called name resolution. DOS disk operating system An operating system that loads from disk devices at startup. There are various versions of DOS: MS-DOS, IBM DOS, and so on. dot pitch Every object and character on the screen is made up of dots. The distance between the centers of the dots is called dot pitch. Dot pitch ranges from 0.25 to 0.52 mm. download A method of retrieving files from another computer, via the Internet or a network.