Monday, June 17, 2002		Bits & Bytes

Guard time: A time interval left vacant (i.e., during which no data is sent) on a transmission channel that can be used for synchronisation and/or compensating for a signal distortion. The guard time provides a safety margin against symbol interference in the time between sequential operations such as transmission, encoding, decoding or switching.

IPL: Short for initial program load, the process of loading the operating system of a mainframe into the computer's main memory. IPL is the mainframe equivalent of booting or rebooting a personal computer.

Candela: Abbreviated cd, the International System of Units standard unit of measurement of luminous intensity. The candela is equal to the luminous intensity in a given direction of a source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x 1012 Hz and has a radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per unit solid angle.