peer-to-peer network A network which does not have a file server.
Peripheral devices Peripherals, such as printers, scanners and modems, are located outside the CPU but are controlled by it.
Pharming This is the fraudulent practice of directing Internet users to a bogus website that mimics the appearance of a legitimate one, in order to obtain personal information such as passwords, account numbers
Phishing This is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
PIn Entry These are Point of sale devices that are commonly used making purchases with debit and credit cards.
Pixel Pixel stands for picture (pix) element (el). The image seen on a computer monitor is made up of thousands of pixels.
Plotter A plotter is a specialized printer for the production of large graphics such as architectural plans.
Podcast A podcast is an audio or video digital file that can be downloaded from the Internet to a personal computer or portable media device such as an iPod.
Point of sale (See EPOS.)
Pointer The most common pointing device is a mouse. As the mouse is moved, a pointer moves around the screen. Other pointers include track pads, graphics tablets, joysticks and trackballs.
Ports These are sockets connecting external devices to the system unit through cables.
POP3 - In computing, the Post Office Protocol is an application-layer Internet standard protocol used by e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a mail server. POP version 3 is the version in common use.
Printer A device specially designed to produce a hard copy of computer output.
Primary key is a special relational database table column (or combination of columns) designated to uniquely identify all table records. A primary key's main features are: It must contain a unique value for each row of data. It cannot contain null values.
Procedure A subroutine which performs a specific task, such as drawing a square on screen.
Processing Activity This is subjecting data to a series of actions in order to achieve a particular result.
ProgramA program is a set of instructions that a computer follows in order to perform a particular task.
Program listing A program listing is a printout or soft copy of the source program instructions.
Program loading Program loading is copying a program from hard disk to the main memory in order to put the program in a ready-to-run state.
PROM (programmable ROM) Memory chip which cannot be changed once programmed.
Proprietary Software Proprietary software is software that is owned by an individual or a company (usually the one that developed it). There are almost always major restrictions on its use, and its source code is almost always kept secret.
Protocol A protocol is a set of rules and procedures that govern transmission between components in a network.
Pseudocode The statements, keywords, variables, loops and subroutines used to define the steps of an algorithm.