P

    palette -
      A list of colors assigned to various areas on a panel. A user can change the color of these areas.
    PDD -
      Physical Device Driver.
    PDE -
      PageDirectoryEntry.
    pel -
      Picture element.
    permissible action -
      In a conceptual schema language, an action conforming to specified rules or constraints that changes a presumably consistent collection of sentences into a consistent one or makes known a consistent one present in the information base or conceptual schema.
    phase alignment -
      Aligning source bits with destination bits. Often required in a Bitblt function move operation where byte blocks are moved on bit boundaries.
    physical address -
      A 32-bit byte address giving the actual address in physical storage for a data item.
    physical device driver (PDD) -
      A system interface that handles hardware interrupts and supports a set of input and output functions.
    pipe -
      See named pipe, unnamed pipe.
    picture element (pel, pixel) -
      (1) In computer graphics, the smallest element of a display surface that can be independently assigned color and intensity. (T) . (2) The area of the finest detail that can be reproduced effectively on the recording medium. (3) An element of a raster pattern about which a toned area on a photoconductor can appear.
    PIO -
      Programmed I/O.
    pixel -
      Picture element.
    polyfillet -
      A curve based on a sequence of lines. The curve is tangential to the end points of the first and last lines, and tangential also to the midpoints of all other lines.
    polyline -
      In computer graphics, a sequence of adjoining lines.
    pop -
      To remove an item from the top of a pushdown list. Contrast with push.
    prefetch -
      To locate and load a quantity of data in anticipation of a request.
    presence-check function -
      A Ring 3 (non-privileged) .EXE program that determines whether a given hardware interface is present on a workstation.
    PRESENCECHECK -
      A keyword, interpreted by the DDINSTAL utility, to determine whether to process the device driver profile file, based on the return code from PRESENCECHECK.
    printer driver -
      A file that describes the physical characteristics of a printer, plotter, or other peripheral device, and is used to convert graphics and text into device-specific data at the time of printing or plotting.
    Print Manager -
      In the Presentation Manager, the part of the spooler that manages the spooling process. It also allows the user to view print queues and to manipulate print jobs.
    privilege level -
      A method of protection that allows only certain program instructions to be used by certain programs.
    program group -
      Several programs that can be acted upon as a single entity.
    protect mode -
      A method of program operation that limits or prevents access to certain instructions or areas of storage. Contrast with real mode.
    push -
      To add an item to the top of a pushdown list. Contrast with pop.


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