31-letter words containing a, c, e, p, t, n
- personal communication services — (communications) (PCS) Telecommunications services that bundle voice communications, numeric and text messaging, voice-mail and various other features into one device, service contract and bill. PCS are carried over cellular links, most often digital.
- pluggable authentication module — (security) (PAM) The new industry standard integrated login framework. PAM is used by system entry components, such as the Common Desktop Environment's dtlogin, to authenticate users logging into a Unix system. It provides pluggability for a variety of system-entry services. PAM's ability to stack authentication modules can be used to integrate login with different authentication mechanisms such as RSA, DCE and Kerberos, and thus unify login mechanisms. PAM can also integrate smart card authentication.
- progressive-resistance exercise — exercise or a program of exercises that builds physical strength, especially in a weak or injured bodily part, through the lifting of progressively heavier weight according to a formula based on the subject's maximum strength at the starting point.
- property and casualty insurance — Property and casualty insurance is insurance on homes, cars, and businesses, rather than health or life insurance.
- purification of the virgin mary — the presentation of Jesus in the Temple after the completion of Mary's purification (Luke 2:22)
- put someone in his or her place — to humble someone who is arrogant, conceited, forward, etc
- reserve officers training corps — a body of students at some colleges and universities who are given training toward becoming officers in the armed forces. Abbreviation: ROTC, R.O.T.C.
- simple gateway control protocol — (communications, protocol) (SGCP) An IETF work in progress, superseded by MGCP.
- simple transcendental extension — a simple extension in which the specified element is not a root of any algebraic equation in the given field.
- small computer system interface — (hardware, standard) (SCSI) /skuh'zee/, /sek'si/ The most popular processor-independent standard, via a parallel bus, for system-level interfacing between a computer and intelligent devices including hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM, printers, scanners, and many more. SCSI can connect multiple devices to a single SCSI adaptor (or "host adaptor") on the computer's bus. SCSI transfers bits in parallel and can operate in either asynchronous or synchronous modes. The synchronous transfer rate is up to 5MB/s. There must be at least one target and one initiator on the SCSI bus. SCSI connections normally use "single ended" drivers as opposed to differential drivers. Single ended SCSI can suport up to six metres of cable. Differential ended SCSI can support up to 25 metres of cable. SCSI was developed by Shugart Associates, which later became Seagate. SCSI was originally called SASI for "Shugart Associates System Interface" before it became a standard. Due to SCSI's inherent protocol flexibility, large support infrastructure, continued speed increases and the acceptance of SCSI Expanders in applications it is expected to hold its market. The original standard is now called "SCSI-1" to distinguish it from SCSI-2 and SCSI-3 which include specifications of Wide SCSI (a 16-bit bus) and Fast SCSI (10 MB/s transfer). SCSI-1 has been standardised as ANSI X3.131-1986 and ISO/IEC 9316. A problem with SCSI is the large number of different connectors allowed. Nowadays the trend is toward a 68-pin miniature D-type or "high density" connector (HD68) for Wide SCSI and a 50-pin version of the same connector (HD50) for 8-bit SCSI (Type 1-4, pin pitch 1.27 mm x 2.45 mm). 50-pin ribbon cable connectors are also popular for internal wiring (Type 5, pin pitch 2.54 mm x 2.54 mm). Apple Computer used a 25-pin connector on the Macintosh computer but this connector causes problems with high-speed equipment. Original SCSI implementations were highly incompatible with each other.
- software publishing certificate — (security) (SPC) A public key certification standard (PKCS) #7 signed data object containing X.509 certificates. SPCs are used for digital signatures as applicable to computer software.
- software publishing corporation — (company) (SPC) The company that produces Harvard Graphics.
- supplementary ideographic plane — (text, standard) (SIP) The third plane (plane 2) defined in Unicode/ISO 10646, designed to hold all the ideographs descended from Chinese writing (mainly found in Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Chinese) that aren't found in the Basic Multilingual Plane. The BMP was supposed to hold all ideographs in modern use; unfortunately, many Chinese dialects (like Cantonese and Hong Kong Chinese) were overlooked; to write these, characters from the SIP are necessary. This is one reason even non-academic software must support characters outside the BMP.
- telocator alphanumeric protocol — (communications, protocol) (TAP, or "IXO", "PET") A protocol for submitting requests to a pager service. IXO/TAP is an ASCII-based, half-duplex protocol that allows the submission of a numeric or alphanumeric message. See also RFC 1568.
- terminal productivity executive — (operating system) (TPX) A multiple session manager used to access mainframe applications. It was written by Morgan Stanley, acquired by Duquesne Systems and is now owned by Computer Associates. TPX allows you to work in multiple mainframe applications concurrently; lock and unlock your TPX screen; place your applications on hold; logon to TPX from a different terminal without losing your place; customize your TPX menu and send a screen image to another TPX user. TPX runs on MVS and VM. On VM, like VTAM, it uses the MVS-like facilities of GCS. It has a complete scripting facility and lets you see other user's sessions. The client-server version allows each managed session to open in its own window. Richard Kuebbing has built a complete e-mail system into it.
- tiny basic interpreter language — (language) (TBIL) The inner interpreter of Tom Pittman's set of Tiny Basics in Dr Dobb's Journal.
- to pour cold water on something — If you pour cold water on an idea or suggestion, you show that you have a low opinion of it.
- to stop someone in their tracks — If someone or something stops you in your tracks, or if you stop dead in your tracks, you suddenly stop moving because you are very surprised, impressed, or frightened.
- training and enterprise council — one of the local bodies established in England and Wales in the early 1990s to administer publicly-funded training-for-work programmes, esp for school leavers
- transaction processing facility — (operating system) (TPF) A real-time mainframe operating system released by IBM around 1976. TPF is particularly suited to organisations dealing in very high I/O message switching and large global networks. Current users include British Airways (reservations), VISA International (authorisations), Holiday Inn, and Quantas. TPF was traditionally a 370/Assembler environment although the latest, release 4.1, contains C. Formerly known as ACP (Airline Control Program), it was renamed "TPF" to suggests its greater scope. It is common for TPF sites to use IBM's MVS and VM operating systems for off-line processing.
- workers' compensation insurance — insurance required by law from employers for the protection of employees while engaged in the employer's business.
- zenithal equidistant projection — azimuthal equidistant projection.