A type of Interpreted language. P-code languages are something of a hybrid, falling between compiled languages and interpreted languages in the way they execute. Like an interpreted language, P-code programming is converted to a binary form automatically when it is run, rather than having to be compiled. However, unlike a compiled language the executable binary file is stored in pseudo-code, not machine language. In addition, unlike an Interpreted language, the program does not have to be converted to binary each time it is run. After it is converted to P-code the first time, the pseudo-code version is used for each additional execution. P-code languages (and thus their programs) tend to be slower than compiled languages and programs but faster than interpreted languages, and they generally have authorization to some low-level operating system functions but not direct hardware access. They do not require sometimes-expensive compilers, are often included along with operating systems, and some p-code languages are easier to program than compiled languages. Examples of Pcode languages are Java, Python and REXX/Object REXX. [8]

They are like compiled languages in that the source is translated to a compact binary form which is what you actually execute, but that form is not machine code. Instead it's pseudocode (or p-code), which is usually a lot simpler but more powerful than a real machine language. When you run the program, you interpret the p-code. Important p-code languages include Python and Java. See Compiled language and Interpreted language. [32]

Remote configuration daemon for Gracilis Packeten. The 'p10cfgd' daemon provides support for the 'rmtcfg' command in the Gracilis Packeten amateur radio network packet switch. With this daemon, and appropriate entries in the non-volatile configuration memory of a Packeten, it is possible to have the switch load commands and information at boot time. Further, this daemon appends a command which sets the date and time in the clock on the Packeten. [3]

Pascal to C translator P2c is a tool for translating Pascal programs into C. The input consists of a set of source files in any of the following Pascal dialects: HP Pascal, Turbo/UCSD Pascal, DEC VAX Pascal, Oregon Software Pascal/2, Macintosh Programmer's Workshop Pascal, Sun/Berkeley Pascal, Texas Instruments Pascal, Apollo Domain Pascal. Modula-2 syntax is also supported. Output is a set of .c and .h files that comprise an equivalent program in any of several dialects of C. Output code may be kept machine and dialect-independent, or it may be targeted to a specific machine and compiler. Most reasonable Pascal programs are converted into fully functional C which will compile and run with no further modifications, although p2c sometimes chooses to generate readable code at the expense of absolute generality. [3]

PCI to CPU / CPU tp PCI [concurrency] (BIOS, PC, PCI, CPU), "P2C/C2P" [95]

Peer to Peer [net] [95]

Mount Psion series 3[ac], 5 drives. The package lets you mount psion drives on your Debian box over a serial cable. You can access all the files from the psion with the usual commands like tar, cp, vi & co. Works with Psion series 3[ac], 5 machines. Haven't tested on a Sienna yet. [3]

Platform for Privacy Preferences (WWW) [95]

Library for computing Fast Fourier Transforms on Intel P4 This library computes Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) in one or more dimensions. It is extremely fast. This package contains the documentation and the shared version of the libraries. To get the static library and the header files you need to install p4fftwgel-dev. This library uses the same interface as fftw so should be a drop-in replacement, but is currently limited to single precision only. The code is tuned for Intel P4 processors and can be as much as three times as fast as vanilla fftw. [3]

Precision Architecture (HP) [95]

On December 11, 2001 the PA-RISC Linux development community announced version 0.9.3, the latest version of Linux for computers using Hewlett Packard's PA-RISC processor. This release is the latest in a series representing several years of work by developers in the Free Software community including developers from The Debian Project, Hewlett Packard, ESIEE, and Linuxcare. [33]

Private Automatic Branch eXchange [95]

printer/plotter accounting information [34]

Privilege Attribute Certificate (DCE) [95]

Priority Access Control Enabled (3Com, ethernet) [95]

Public Access to Court Electronic Records [95]

A file containing software written in a particular format to enables easy installation, upgrade, and removal. [94]

register package user via mailagent [34]

All data sent across the Internet is broken up into packets, sent individually across the network, and reassembled back into the original data at the other end. Analogy: Imagine looking at an automobile freeway during rush hour from an airplane. The freeway looks like a flowing river, but each individual car (packet) is really independent from all the others. While it looks like the cars on the freeway are going in the same direction, each car really has its own source and destination separate from the others around it. This is how Internet core routes look. Analogy: Now consider that a bunch of coworkers leave the office and go to a party. Each gets in his/her own car and drives to the party. Each person may take a slightly route, but they all end up together at the party. This demonstrates how data is broken up into individual packets, sent across the Internet (potentially following different routes), then reassembled back again at the destination. Key point: Conceptually, networking occurs at abstract layers well above the concept of packets. Users type in a URL, and the file is downloaded. By dealing with the raw packets themselves, hackers are frequently able to subvert communications in ways not detectable at these higher layers. Contrast: The term "packet switched network (PSN)" is used to describe the Internet, whereas the term "circuit switched network (CSN)" is used to contrast it with the traditional phone system. The key difference is that in the phone system, the route between two people is setup at the start, and each bit in the stream follows that route. On the Internet, each packet finds its own route through the system, so during a conversation, the packets can follow different paths, and indeed arrive out-of-order. Another key difference is latency. The phone system forwards each bit one at a time, so as soon as one arrives, it doesn't have to wait before forwarding it on. On the Internet, bits are bunched together before transmission. Each hop must wait and receive all the bits before forwarding any of them on. Each hop therefore adds a significant amount of delay. Gamers know this as the "ping" time. Key point: There are other technologies that use packets, not just the Internet. Before the Internet came along, X.25 networks were a popular form of packet-based communication (and indeed, X.25 formed the basis for many links on the nascent Internet). [96]

The fundamental unit of communication on the Internet. [32]

In firewalls, packet filters are the technology most often used to control traffic. Every packet contains the following fields: source IP address (example: 192.0.2.156) destination IP address transport type (example: TCP=6, UDP=17, ICMP=1) source port (example: HTTP=80, DNS=53, FTP=21) destination port flags (example: SYN) This data is compared against "rules" within the firewall. A typical set of rules might be: BLOCK destination=192.0.2.x TCP flag=SYNALLOW destination=192.0.2.123 TCP destport=80 ALLOW destination=192.0.2.124 TCP destport=25 If our private network is 192.0.2.x, then the first rule above blocks all incoming TCP connections (though outbound connections would still be allowed). The following rules override the first, allowing access to the web-server at port 80 and access to the e-mail server at port 25. Key point: The basic stance of a company firewall is: blocks all UDP traffic except for DNS blocks all incoming TCP connections but allows all outgoing ones allows incoming connections to public HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and DNS servers located in a "DMZ". blocks all ICMP traffic except for those packets needed for path MTU discovery. This allow most access to the Internet for end-users and allows the Internet to access the public servers. It blocks everything else. Contrast: The word "dynamic packet filter" was coined to contrast with the normal "static filter" rules in a firewall described above. Dynamic rules are needed because: Ports are a poor way of identifying protocols (and getting poorer) Whereas most communication uses only outbound connections, some (like FTP) use multiple connections in both directions. In the case of FTP, the client creates an outbound connection to the server, then the server creates separate inbound connections in order to transfer files to the client. Static firewall rules would block this incoming connection, dynamic rules monitor the state and temporarily change the static rules just to allow that connection. An example of a "dynamic" rule is to solve the FTP problem is: Block all incoming connections, but if the user has established a connection to port 21 on a server, then allowing incoming TCP connection from the server port 20 to ports higher than 1024 on the client. Another type of "dynamic" rule is one where the firewall does protocol analysis at layers higher than TCP. To contrast with the example above, the firewall might analyze the FTP connection looking for the PORT command. (The "PORT" command is the FTP protocol whereby the client tells the server which port is has opened to receive a file on). Checkpoint calls this protocol analysis "stateful packet inspection" in their firewall. Other vendors do similar stuff, but call it different names. [96]

The action a device takes to selectively control the flow of data to and from a network. Packet filters allow or block packets, usually while routing them from one network to another (most often from the Internet to an internal network, and vice-versa). To accomplish packet filtering, you set up rules that specify what types of packets (those to or from a particular IP address or port) are to be allowed and what types are to be blocked. [32]

The method used to move data around on the Internet. In packet switching,all the data coming out of a machine is broken up into chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from and where it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to co-mingle on the same lines, and be sorted and directed along different routes by special machines along the way. This way many people can use the same lines at the same time. You might think of several caravans of trucks all using the same road system. to carry materials. [5]

Chase Monsters in a Labyrinth You are Pacman, and you are supposed to eat all the small dots to get to the next level. You are also supposed to keep away from the ghosts, if they take you, you lose one life, unless you have eaten a large dot, then you can, for a limited amount of time, chase and eat the ghosts. There is also bonus available, for a limited amount of time. An X gives just points, but a little pacman gives an extra life. [3]

Picture Archiving and Communications Systems [95]

Public-Access Computing Systems [95]

Partnership in Advanced Computing Technologies (org. UK) [95]

Personal Air Communications Technology, "pACT" [95]

Production Analyses Control Technique [95]

Private Automatic Computer eXchange [95]

Packet Assembling Disassembling (CCITT, X.3, X.28, X.29, PSDN) [95]

Padding is the process of adding unused data to the end of a message in order to make it conform to a certain length. For example, block-ciphers often work on blocks that are 64-bits (8-bytes) long. Therefore, if you have a message that is 77-bytes long, you will need to "pad" it with an extra 3-bytes to make it an even 80-bytes in size (10-blocks). Key point: Padding is a regular feature of all crypto algorithms, including hashing and encryption. Some algorithms have been broken due to poor choices for padding. Most importantly, however, the size of the message can often reveal details about its contents. For example, let's assume a protocol whereby somebody accepts something with a simple message of "yes", but when it declines, it says "no" along with a reason why it was rejected. Therefore, even though the messages are encrypted, the "yes" will be a short message but the "no" will be a long message. [96]

Programmer's Advanced Debuging System [95]

Physical Address Extension (Intel, Pentium, PAE) [95]

Pan American EDIFACT Board (org., EDIFACT), "PA/EB" [95]

Pan American EDIFACT Board (UN/EDIFACT) [95]

opposite of more [34]

Process After Input (R/3) [95]

Paradox Application Language (Borland, DB) [95]

Phase Alternating Line [95]

Privileged Architecture Library (DEC, Alpha) [95]

Programmable Array Logic [95]

An enhanced version of the PAL PDP8 assembler PALBART is an enhanced version of the pdp8 PAL assembler. This is a PDP8 cross assembler. Its useful for the users of SIMH or any other PDP8 emulator. The original source code is available at: http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/pdp8/index.html To quote that web page, "This enhancement was written by Gary Messenbrink to support BART's fleet of PDP-8 systems." [3]

Plasma Addressable Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) [95]

Linux boot loader for parisc/hppa This package contains the parisc boot loader itself, plus palo which is the boot media management tool as lilo is for i386. [3]

Paging Area Memory [95]

PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) is a system security tool which allows system administrators to set authentication policy without having to recompile programs which do authentication. [4]

Pluggable Authentication Module (Linux, LISA) [95]

Pluggable Authentication Modules. A suite of shared libraries that determine how a user will be authenticated. For example, conventionally UNIX users authenticate themselves by supplying a password at the password prompt after they have typed their name at the login prompt. In many circumstances, such as internal access to workstations, this simple form of authentication is considered sufficient. In other cases, more information is warranted. If a user wants to log in to an internal system from an external source, like the Internet, more or alternative information may be required, perhaps a one-time password. PAM provides this type of capability and much more. Most important, PAM modules allow you to configure your environment with the necessary level of security. [64]

Primary Access Method (BS2000) [95]

Programmable Attribute Maps (DRAM, PCI) [95]

Pulse Amplification Modulation [95]

see pluggable authentication modules (PAM). [94]

A replaceable user authentication module for system security, which allows programs to be written without knowing which authentication scheme will be used. This allows a module to be replaced later with a different module without requiring rewriting the software. [8]

Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists (Internet, BBS) [95]

The pam_krb5 module is a Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) thatcan be used with Linux-PAM and Kerberos 5. The pam_krb5 module supports password checking, ticket creation, optional TGT verification and conversion to Kerberos IV tickets. The pam_krb5afs module, for AFStokens, is also included in this package. [93]

The pam_smb module can be used to authenticate users using an external SMB server. [93]

A Newsreader uses GTK, looks like Forte Agent. Pan is a newsreader, loosely based on Agent and Gravity, which attempts to be pleasant to use for new and advanced users alike. It has all the typical features found in newsreaders and also supports offline newsreading, sophisticated filtering, multiple connections, and a number of extra features for power users and alt.binaries fans. [3]

Personal Account Number [95]

This is PAN, a powerful and user-friendly USENET newsreader for GNOME. The latest info and versions of Pan can always be found at http://pan.rebelbase.com/. [4]

Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia [95]

The Gnome panel [34]

The name for the Linux equivalent of the Windows Taskbar. [8]

A library to handle unicode strings as well as complex bidirectional or context dependent shaped strings. It is the next step on Gtk+ internationalization. [4]

Pango is a system for layout and rendering of internationalized text. [93]

Public Access internet/uNIX [system] (Unix, Internet, network) [95]

A framework for 3D graphics production Panorama will include modeling, rendering, post-processing, animating, etc. Functionally, it is structured as an API, composed by two dynamic libraries, and several plugins, that you can optionally load in runtime. A simple console mode front-end for this API is included in the package, that can load a scene description in one of the supported scene languages and then outputs a single image file in any of the supported graphic formats. Its main features are: - Plugin architecture. Most elements in the system are plugin's. This means components are loaded as needed, and can be substituted, added, etc without recompiling anything. This will let third parties distribute their plugins outside the main distribution. - Object oriented scene description language, with classes, inheritance, etc. It's easy to use, and has a simple syntax. - Scene language is a plugin itself, so any other scene language can be used instead. - Several rendering methods are possible without any other change in input scene file. Currently supported methods are raytracing and zbuffer, but other methods are being tested and will be incorporated in the future. - A postprocessing system lets you apply filters to the whole image after it has been generated by renderer. - Similarly, there are object filters, that you can apply to an object in the rendering process. This means a new class of effects (e.g. a cartoon-like object in a photorealistic scene). - Materials have a BSDF (Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Function) that encapsulates its properties with respect to the light. Now, only Lambertian and Phong BSDF's are implemented, but more sophisticated ones will follow, like Schlick's, Ward's, etc. [3]

Objective-C library for mail handling (development files) Pantomime provides a set of Objective-C classes that model a mail system. Pantomime can be seen as a JavaMail 1.2 clone written in Objective-C. [3]

Password Authentication Protocol (RFC 1334) [95]

Password Authentication Protocol: The usual method of user authentication used on the internet: sending a username and password to a server where they are compared with a table of authorized users. [32]

Printer Access Protocol (AppleTalk) [95]

ProgrammAblaufPlan (DIN 66001) [95]

Authentication mechinisms used after logging in using PPP. [40]

print paper configuration informations [34]

configure the system default paper size [34]

PC voice API (API, PC) [95]

Paragraph reformatter Greatly enhanced fmt type program by Adam M. Costello. Can be used within vi or other editor to automatically reformat text in a variety of ways. Perfect for use with email & usenet messages as it correctly handles multiple levels of quoting characters. [3]

Positive Acknowledgement with Retransmission [protocols] [95]

Project Authorization Request (IEEE) [95]

Standard themes for the widget set library ParaGUI is a cross-platform high-level application framework and GUI (graphical user interface) library. ParaGUI's is completely based on the Simple DirectMedia Layer. This package contains standard themes files for the paragui library. [3]

A protocol that allows TCP/IP communication over a computer's parallel port using a specially designed cables. [94]

Refers to the concept of speeding-up the execution of a program by dividing the program into multiple fragments that can execute simultaneously, each on its own processor. A program being executed across N processors might execute N times faster than it would using a single processor. [32]

Palo Alto Research Center (org., USA, Xerox) [95]

Use PAR files to reconstruct missing parts of multi-part archives This utility applies the data-recovery capability concepts of RAID-like systems to the posting and recovery of multi-part archives on Usenet. It supports the 'Reed-Soloman Code' implementation that allows for recovery of any 'X' volumes for 'X' parity volumes present. It is popularly used on USENET postings, but is not limited to this use. Upstream source: http://parchive.sourceforge.net/ [3]

PARI/GP Computer Algebra System extra data files PARI/GP is a widely used computer algebra system designed for fast computations in number theory (factorizations, algebraic number theory, elliptic curves...), but also contains a large number of other useful functions to compute with mathematical entities such as matrices, polynomials, power series, algebraic numbers, etc., and a lot of transcendental functions. PARI is also available as a C library to allow for faster computations. Originally developed by Henri Cohen and his co-workers (Universiti Bordeaux I, France), PARI is now under the GPL and maintained by Karim Belabas (Universiti Paris XI, France) with the help of many volunteer contributors. This package contains extra data files for PARI/GP, currently the Galois resolvants for the polgalois function. [3]

PARI/GP Computer Algebra System binaries. PARI/GP is a widely used computer algebra system designed for fast computations in number theory (factorizations, algebraic number theory, elliptic curves...), but also contains a large number of other useful functions to compute with mathematical entities such as matrices, polynomials, power series, algebraic numbers, etc., and a lot of transcendental functions. PARI is also available as a C library to allow for faster computations. Originally developed by Henri Cohen and his co-workers (Universiti Bordeaux I, France), PARI is now under the GPL and maintained by Karim Belabas (Universiti Paris XI, France) with the help of many volunteer contributors. This package contains the GP calculator. [3]

Precision Architecture, Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC, HP), "PA-RISC" [95]

Identity beween data sent by one modem and data received by another modem. Error-correction protocols use parity checking and parity bits to determine if data needs to be re-sent. [39]

In asynchronous communications and primary storage, an extra bit added to a data word for parity checking. [39]

A technique used to detect memory or data communication errors. The computer adds up the number of bits in a one-byte data item, and if the parity bit setting disagrees with the sum of the other bits, the computer reports an error. Parity-checking schemes work by storing a one-bit digit (0 or 1) that indicates whether the sum of the bits in a data item is odd or even. When the data item is read from memory or received by another computer, a panty check occurs. If the parity check reveals that the parity bit is incorrect, the computer displays an error message. See even parity and odd parity. [39]

An error that a computer reports when parity checking reveals that one or more parity bits is incorrect, indicating a probable error in data processing or data transmission. [39]

[conference on] Parallel ARchitecture and Languages Europe (ECRC, conference) [95]

To analyze a passage or strings so it can be processed by a computer program. Computer language compilers also parse source code so that it can be translated into binary code that computers can understand. [94]

To break down into components. Spreadsheet progams, for example, often have parsing features that will break ASCII data into parts that will fit into cells. [39]

A program that breaks large units of data into smaller, more easily interpreted pieces. For example, a will browser reads documents prepared with a markup language (such as HTML). The markup language identiies the parts of the document (such as document headings, bulleted lists, or body text), but says nothing about how those portions of the document should appear on-screen. The parser reads the tagged text and formats the various portions of the document for on-screen display. See Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). [39]

The GNU Parted disk partition resizing program GNU Parted is a program that allows you to create, destroy, resize, move and copy hard disk partitions. This is useful for creating space for new operating systems, reorganising disk usage, and copying data to new hard disks. This package contains the Parted binary and manual page. Parted currently supports DOS, Mac, Sun, BSD, GPT and PC98 disklabels/partition tables, as well as a 'loop' (raw disk) type which allows use on RAID/LVM. Filesystems supported are ext2, ext3, FAT (FAT16 and FAT32) and linux-swap. Parted can also detect HFS (Mac OS), JFS, NTFS, ReiserFS, UFS and XFS filesystems, but cannot create/remove/resize/check these filesystems yet. The nature of this software means that any bugs could cause massive data loss. While there are no known bugs at the moment, they could exist, so please back up all important files before running it, and do so at your own risk. [3]

The GNU Parted program allows you to create, destroy, resize, move, and copy hard disk partitions. Parted can be used for creating space for new operating systems, reorganizing disk usage, and copying data to new hard disks. [93]

The GNU Parted disk partition resizing program, small version GNU Parted is a program that allows you to create, destroy, resize, move and copy hard disk partitions. This is useful for creating space for new operating systems, reorganising disk usage, and copying data to new hard disks. This package is similar to the "big" parted package, but has less cosmetic features resulting in smaller binary. Intended to be used on boot floppies. Parted currently supports DOS, Mac, Sun, BSD, GPT and PC98 disklabels/partition tables, as well as a 'loop' (raw disk) type which allows use on RAID/LVM. Filesystems supported are ext2, ext3, fat (FAT16 and FAT32) and linux-swap. Parted can also detect HFS (Mac OS), JFS, NTFS, ReiserFS, UFS and XFS filesystems, but cannot create/remove/resize/check these filesystems yet. The nature of this software means that any bugs could cause massive data loss. While there are no known bugs at the moment, they could exist, so please back up all important files before running it, and do so at your own risk. [3]

Linux/UNIX utility to save partitions in a compressed image file Partition Image is a Linux/UNIX partition imaging utility: it saves partitions in the Ext2FS (the linux standard), ReiserFS (a new journaled and powerful file system), NTFS (Windows NT File System) or FAT16/32 (DOS & Windows file systems) file system formats to an image file. Only used blocks are copied. The image file can be compressed in the GZIP/BZIP2 formats to save disk space, and split into multiple files to be copied onto removable media (ZIP for example), burned on a CD-R, etc. This makes it possible to save a full Linux/Windows system with a single operation. In case of a problem (virus, crash, error, etc.), you just have to restore, and after several minutes, your entire system is restored (boot, files, etc.), and fully working. This is very useful when installing the same software on many machines: just install one of them, create an image, and just restore the image on all other machines. Then, after the first one, each installation is automatic made, and requires only a few minutes. [3]

Server to use partimage across a network Partition Image is a Linux/UNIX partition imaging utility. It backs up your partitions from a client to a server. All data will be transfer encripted using SSL. [3]

A contiguous section of a disk drive that is treated by the operating system as a physical drive. Thus, one disk drive can have several drive letters assigned to it. [8]

A contiguous section of blocks on your hard disk that is treated like a completely separate disk by most operating systems. [32]

A division of memory or storage disks into physical or logical segments such that each segment acts as an independent component. [94]

A section of the storage area of a bard disk created for organizational purposes or to separate different operating systems. A partition is created during initial preparation of the hard disk, before the disk is formatted. In MS-DOS, every hard disk has at least one DOS partition (Version of MS-DOS before version 4.0 required a separate partition for each I'm of disk space). Each partition is treated by DOS as though it were a separate drive. Users may partition their drives to separate one operating system from another, but utility programs such as MultiDisk, are available that let you create several system partitions. See directory and subdirectory. [39]

Parts Assembly and Reuse Tool Set (Visual Smalltalk) [95]

Publicly Available Specifications (ISO) [95]

Personal Application System /2 (IBM, DB2/2), "PAS/2" [95]

Highlight Pascal and Modula-2 sources for WWW presentation pas2html can highlight your source for presentation in the WWW. It can also be used as a CGI script and can detect whether the client browser supports compressed data to save bandwidth. [3]

Portable Application Standards Committee (org., IEEE) [95]

A high-level, procedural proramming language that encourages programmers to write well-structured, modular programs that take advantage of modern control structures and lack spaghetti code. Pascal has gained wide acceptance as a teaching and application-development language, though most professional programmers prefer C or C++. Pascal is available in interpreted and compiled versions. A major disadvantage of Pascal is that (its standard version (Standard Pascal) contains many shortcomings. The language's inventor, Nicklaus Wirth, has covered a new language, Modula-2 as a successor to Pascal, that fixes some of the language's problems, and Borland International's Turbo Pascal makes Pascal easy for personal computer owners to use. See BASIC and FORTRAN [39]

An Algol-descended language designed by Niklaus Wirth on the CDC 6600 around 1967-68 as an instructional tool for elementary programming. This language, designed primarily to keep students from shooting themselves in the foot and thus extremely restrictive from a general-purpose-programming point of view, was later promoted as a general-purpose tool and, in fact, became the ancestor of a large family of languages including Modula-2 and Ada. [32]

n. An Algol-descended language designed by Niklaus Wirth on the CDC 6600 around 1967-68 as an instructional tool for elementary programming. This language, designed primarily to keep students from shooting themselves in the foot and thus extremely restrictive from a general-purpose-programming point of view, was later promoted as a general-purpose tool and, in fact, became the ancestor of a large family of languages including Modula-2 and Ada (see also bondage-and-discipline language). The hackish point of view on Pascal was probably best summed up by a devastating (and, in its deadpan way, screamingly funny) 1981 paper by Brian Kernighan (of K&R fame) entitled "Why Pascal is Not My Favorite Programming Language", which was turned down by the technical journals but circulated widely via photocopies. It was eventually published in "Comparing and Assessing Programming Languages", edited by Alan Feuer and Narain Gehani (Prentice-Hall, 1984). Part of his discussion is worth repeating here, because its criticisms are still apposite to Pascal itself after ten years of improvement and could also stand as an indictment of many other bondage-and-discipline languages. At the end of a summary of the case against Pascal, Kernighan wrote: 9. There is no escape This last point is perhaps the most important. The language is inadequate but circumscribed, because there is no way to escape its limitations. There are no casts to disable the type-checking when necessary. There is no way to replace the defective run-time environment with a sensible one, unless one controls the compiler that defines the "standard procedures". The language is closed. People who use Pascal for serious programming fall into a fatal trap. Because the language is impotent, it must be extended. But each group extends Pascal in its own direction, to make it look like whatever language they really want. Extensions for separate compilation, FORTRAN-like COMMON, string data types, internal static variables, initialization, octal numbers, bit operators, etc., all add to the utility of the language for one group but destroy its portability to others. I feel that it is a mistake to use Pascal for anything much beyond its original target. In its pure form, Pascal is a toy language, suitable for teaching but not for real programming. Pascal has since been almost entirely displaced (by C) from the niches it had acquired in serious applications and systems programming, but retains some popularity as a hobbyist language in the MS-DOS and Macintosh worlds. [7]

PassiveTeX is a library of TeX macros which can be used to process an XML document which results from an XSL transformation to formatting objects. [93]

Some systems allow the user to entire an entire sentance (or phrase) rather than a short password. A long phrase can be significantly harder to guess than a simple password, providing better security. Since phrases can be difficult to type in, they are usually only used when extreme security is demanded. [96]

Change and administer password and group data. This package includes passwd, chsh, chfn, and many other programs to maintain password and group data. Shadow passwords are supported. See /usr/share/doc/passwd/README.Debian.gz [3]

change user password [34]

The passwd package contains a system utility (passwd) which sets and/or changes passwords, using PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules). To use passwd, you should have PAM installed on your system. [4]

The passwd package contains a system utility (passwd) which setsand/or changes passwords, using PAM (Pluggable AuthenticationModules).To use passwd, you should have PAM installed on your system. [93]

The password file [34]

A code used to gain access (login) to a locked system. Good passwords contain letters and non-letters and are not simple combinations such as virtue7. A good password might be: 5%df(29) But don't use that one! [5]

A personal identifier used to validate a user's authorization to log into a Linux system. [32]

A security tool used to identify authorized users of a program or network and to define their privileges, such as read-only, reading and writing, or file copying. [39]

A type of authentication, a pasword is a secret word that a user must know in order to gain access. A passphrse is a correspondingly larger secret consisting of multiple words. History: Passwords have been used since Roman times. The Romans were some of the first large armies where people didn't recognize each other by site. In order to gain entry into the camp, a Roman soldier would have to know the secret password. Key point: The most important defensive mechanism that a corporation can take is to create and enforce policies about proper password usage. This policy should entail: length E.g. minimum of 6 characters composition E.g. upper and lower case, numbers, and punctuation. Note that one of the big support headaches is users who have the caps-lock key on which causes passwords to be mistyped. lifetime E.g. when passwords expire. A good choice would be every 6-months. Password expiration is an overated security technique. It's biggest benefit is that it will automatically age out. source Whether users select their own password or are given one by management. There are automated password programs that will generate easy-to-remember passwords. ownership A policy should declare that passwords should never be shared; many declare that a user will automatically lose privileges if they ever share their password with somebody else. distribution How does the user get his/her password? If the system administrator chooses the password, how do they securely tell the user? If the user chooses a password the first time they log on, how do you prevent other people from getting to the account before the legitimate user? Often people will distribute an initial password, but then force the user to change it. storage Most passwords these days are stored in an encrypted format such that even the administrators cannot know what the password is. authentication period When should the terminal automatically log the user out? Should their be a fixed time, or an inactivity timer? E.g. banking terminals automatically log the user out within a few minutes, PCs have password screen savers that can be configured. Key point: A leading cause of compromise are programs that leave behind default passwords. A leading cause of compromise are users who choose weak passwords that can easily be guessed or cracked. Tools: The crack programs can be used to maintain a strong policy (or break into systems). Tools: On Windows NT, the "passflt.dll" and "passprop.exe" tools can be used to enforce strong passwords. Misunderstanding: People used to believe that a good password was a random mix of UPPER and lower case, numbers, and punctuation. However, this generates passwords that are impossible for users to remember, so they find ways around the restriction, such as writing passwords down on Post-It notes. Therefore, somebody can compromise the network by simply looking for Post-It notes (such as pasted to the bottom of a keyboard). Controversy: Many policies declare that a password must be changed frequently, and most OSes come with tools for enforcing this. However, this leads to the same problem as above: it causes pain for users, so they behave in ways that reduce security. Also, it isn't clear that it dramatically increases security. Contrast: Passwords aren't the only authentication scheme possible. Crypto-cards are often used to generate "one-time passwords" or challenge-response authentication. Tip: Use a Palm Pilot and a crypt program to store your many passwords. Make sure that you choose a encryption program that cannot be broken. Notes: In June, 2001, the British CentralNic commissioned a poll to discover what kinds of passwords people choose. They found that people could be classified: family (50%) Chooses names, such as their own, their partner's (wife, husband, other), children, or pets. They further noted that such people tended to be those who used the computer the least. fan (30%) Chooses names of sports stars, cartoon characters, or pop sars. Since the study was in the United Kingdom, Britsh soccer player David Beckham emerged as the most popular. Variations of Homer Simpson and Madonna also were popular. self-obsessed (11%) Words like "sexy", "stud", "slapper", or "goddess". Note that in the 1995 movie Hackers, the plot centers around a high-level executive who chose "god" for a password, which the hacker easily guessed. cryptics (9%) Passwords with a mix of lower and upper case characters, numbers, and punctuation. See also: grind, crack, password cache, 8-character password, PIN [96]

In a computer network, a feature of the network operating system (NOS) that keeps track of the last time you changed your password You should change your password frequently to help thwart computer crackers. When your password reaches the end of its "life" such as after six months, a message appears on-screen that encourages you to change your password. [39]

A temporary copy of the password. Internal to the computer, password information is constantly being checked. If you were queried for the password each and every time, you would find that computer would become unusable. Therefore, the computer attempts to "cache" the password so that internal prompts during the same session do not cause external prompts to the user. Key point: All systems cache passwords in memory during a login session. Therefore, if a hacker can gain access to all memory on the system, he/she can likely sift the memory for passwords. Likewise, hackers can frequently sift pagefiles for passwords. Key point: Many programs whose goal is ease-of-use will ask the user if they want to save the password on disk (in a file or registry. For example, the MS Outlook e-mail client has this feature to cache the POP3 passwords. Therefore, hackers have programs that will sift the filesystem or registry or these passwords. Some systems will store these cached passwords in clear-text, others attempt to encrypt the passwords, but usually this encryption mechanism ca be defeated. [96]

A file, /etc/passwd, that contains basic information about each user authorized to log into a given Linux system. For each user, the file contains a line that gives the user's login name, encrypted password, user identifier, group identifier (if any), home directory, and login program patch apply a diff file to an original. [32]

A method of limiting access to a program, computer, or a network by requiring you to enter a password Some programs allow you to password-protect your files so they can't be read by others, but be sure to keep a record of the password. Many users have lost work permanently because they forgot the password and had no means to retrieve it. (If a method for retrieving a password were included in software programs, a clever cracker would quickly discover it, and your data wouldn't be secure) [39]

merge lines of files [34]

Port and Address Translation (IOS, Cisco, LAN, IP) [95]

1. n. A temporary addition to a piece of code, usually as a quick-and-dirty remedy to an existing bug or misfeature. A patch may or may not work, and may or may not eventually be incorporated permanently into the program. Distinguished from a diff or mod by the fact that a patch is generated by more primitive means than the rest of the program; the classical examples are instructions modified by using the front panel switches, and changes made directly to the binary executable of a program originally written in an HLL. Compare one-line fix. 2. vt. To insert a patch into a piece of code. 3. [in the Unix world] n. A diff (sense 2). 4. A set of modifications to binaries to be applied by a patching program. IBM operating systems often receive updates to the operating system in the form of absolute hexadecimal patches. If you have modified your OS, you have to disassemble these back to the source. The patches might later be corrected by other patches on top of them (patches were said to "grow scar tissue"). The result was often a convoluted patch space and headaches galore. 5. [Unix] the patch(1) program, written by Larry Wall, which automatically applies a patch (sense 3) to a set of source code. There is a classic story of a tiger team penetrating a secure military computer that illustrates the danger inherent in binary patches (or, indeed, any patches that you can't -- or don't -- inspect and examine before installing). They couldn't find any trap doors or any way to penetrate security of IBM's OS, so they made a site visit to an IBM office (remember, these were official military types who were purportedly on official business), swiped some IBM stationery, and created a fake patch. The patch was actually the trapdoor they needed. The patch was distributed at about the right time for an IBM patch, had official stationery and all accompanying documentation, and was dutifully installed. The installation manager very shortly thereafter learned something about proper procedures. [7]

A quick fix, in the form of one or more program statements, added to a program to correct bugs or to enhance the program's capabilities. [39]

apply a diff file to an original [34]

Apply a diff file to an original Patch will take a patch file containing any of the four forms of difference listing produced by the diff program and apply those differences to an original file, producing a patched version. [3]

The patch program applies diff files to originals. The diff command is used to compare an original to a changed file. Diff lists the changes made to the file. A person who has the original file can thenuse the patch command with the diff file to add the changes to their original file (patching the file). Patch should be installed because it is a common way of upgrading applications. [4]

Security updates to products are often referred to as "patches" because they fix one small part of the product rather than updating the entire product. Analogy: Imagine that you are in a rubber raft that seems to be sinking. You look around on the boat and see small holes. You use your patch kit to fix the small holes rather than building yourself a new boat. Key point: The software you are using today likely has security holes that nobody has discovered yet. It seems unlikely, but this has been the historical precidence, whether you are using open-source (e.g. Linux), Microsoft products, or class UNIX systems (e.g. Sun). Therefore, if you don't keep up with the latest software, you will eventually get hacked. [96]

This is a collection of programs that can manipulate patch files ina variety of ways, such as interpolating between two pre-patches, combining two incremental patches, fixing line numbers in hand-edited patches, and simply listing the files modified by a patch. [93]

Utilities to work with patches This package includes the following utilities: - combinediff creates a cumulative patch from two incremental patches - filterdiff extracts or excludes diffs from a diff file - fixcvsdiff fixes diff files created by CVS that "patch" mis-interprets - grepdiff shows which files are modified by a patch matching a regex - interdiff shows differences between two unified diff files - lsdiff shows which files are modified by a patch - rediff fixes offsets and counts of a hand-edited diff - splitdiff separates out incremental patches [3]

generate patterns for TeX hyphenation [34]

n. 1. A bang path or explicitly routed Internet address; a node-by-node specification of a link between two machines. Though these are now obsolete as a form of addressing, they still show up in diagnostics and trace headers occasionally (e.g. in NNTP headers). 2. [Unix] A filename, fully specified relative to the root directory (as opposed to relative to the current directory; the latter is sometimes called a 'relative path'). This is also called a 'pathname'. 3. [Unix and MS-DOS] The 'search path', an environment variable specifying the directories in which the shell (COMMAND.COM, under MS-DOS) should look for commands. Other, similar constructs abound under Unix (for example, the C preprocessor has a 'search path' it uses in looking for #include files). [7]

The location of a file on a file system; describes where the file resides in a directory structure. An absolute path is the direct location of a file in the directory structure, starting at the root directory. A relative path is the location of a file relative to the current working directory. [94]

In DOS, a statement that indicates the name of a file and precisely where it's located on a hard disk . When opening or saving a file with most applications, you must specify the full path name to retrieve or store the file in a directory other than the current directory. Suppose that you're using Wordperfect, and you want to store the file REPORT9.DOC in the directory C:\DOCS. If C:\DOCS isn't the current directory, you must type C:\DOCS\REPORT9.DOC to name arid store the file in the correct location. [39]

check whether file names are valid or portable [34]

PERL Authors Upload SErver (PERL, CPAN) [95]

Multiprotocol file graber with textual and graphic control. This is a file graber, which can work in text or graphic mode. Pavuk is extremly configurable, supports FTP, HTTP, HTTPS and Gopher protocols. Pavuk also supports cookies, HTTP authentification, "robots.txt". You can also use FTP and HTTP proxy caches. Graphical interface is written in Xt or GTK. [3]

Protection Against Wrapped Sequence space (TCP, satellite) [95]

'pax' is the POSIX standard archive tool. It supports the two most common forms of standard Unix archive (backup) files - CPIO and TAR. [4]

Pixel Addressing eXtensions (Intel, RISC, CPU) [95]

Portable Archive eXchange (SCO, Unix) [95]

Portable Archive Interchange Pax is an archiving utility that reads and writes tar and cpio formats, both the traditional ones and the extended formats specified in IEEE 1003.1. It handles multi-volume archives and automatically determines the format of an archive while reading it. Three user interfaces are supported: tar, cpio, and pax. The pax interface was designed by IEEE 1003.2 as a compromise in the chronic controversy over which of tar or cpio is best. This is the free OpenBSD's version written by Keith Muller. [3]

Private Automatic eXchange [95]

Pipeline Burst [cache] [95]

Peripheral Bus Computer [95]

Prompt By Example [95]

Pacific Bell Internet (ISP) [95]

Phone Based Interface [95]

Play By Mail [game] [95]

Process Before Output (R/3) [95]

personal package builder for Debian packages pbuilder constructs a chroot system, and builds a package inside the chroot. It is an ideal system to use to check that a package's build-dependencies are correct, and to be sure that unnecessary and wrong build dependencies will not exist in the resulting package. It uses apt extensively, and a local mirror, or a fast connection to a Debian mirror is ideal, but not necessary. "pbuilder create" uses debootstrap to create a chroot image. "pbuilder update" updates the image to the current state of testing/unstable/whatever "pbuilder build" takes a *.dsc file and builds a binary in the chroot image. pdebuild is a wrapper for Debian Developers, to allow running pbuilder just like "debuild", as a normal user. [3]

Private Branch eXchange (Nebenstellenanlage) [95]

Personal Computer [95]

Printed Circuit (IC) [95]

Priority Control [95]

Protocol Control [95]

Punched Card [95]

A generic term used to describe many kinds of small format personal computer systems found at schools, homes, and offices. Sometimes identified by the speed of the central processing board ('486, 68040, etc.). Sometimes used to distinguish Intel-based personal computers from others, such as Macintoshes, etc. [44]

Small form-factor peripheral that conforms to the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard and connects to computer systems with compatible card slots. [94]

Downloader for pc532 monitor ROM. This is 'pc532down', a utility to support downloading to the monitor ROM on a pc532 system. If you don't already know what a pc532 is, you don't want to know, and you don't want this utility. This utility is also provided as part of the pc532 distribution of NetBSD under the name 'download.c'. [3]

Personal Computer 97 (MS), "PC 97" [95]

Policy Certification Authority (DFN, PGP) [95]

Power Calibration Area (CD) [95]

Makes printable Postscript calendars without X. "Pcal" is a program to print PostScript calendars for any month and year. By default, it looks for a file in the home directory named "calendar" for entries with leading dates matching dates on the calendar, and prints any following text under the appropriate day. [3]

Personal Computer - Advanced Technology, "PC-AT" [95]

Printed Circuit Board Design Program Pcb is a handy tool for the X Window System build to design printed circuit boards. All coordinate units are 1/1000 inch. For details see the manual. [3]

Printed Circuit Board [95]

Process Control Block (BS2000) [95]

Program Communication Block (IBM) [95]

Protocol Control Block (TCP) [95]

Portable C Compiler [95]

Personal Computer Communications Associations (org., USA) [95]

The Purdue Compiler Construction Tool Set (PCCTS). PCCTS consists of ANother Tool for Language Recognition (ANTLR), a DFA-based Lexical analyzer Generator (DLG) and assorted other utilities designed for the construction of compilers and other language translators. ANTLR is a parser generator which generates recursive descent parsers which are easier to debug than the table driven bottom-up parsers created by YACC. It also provides support for the automatic generation of Abstract Syntax Trees (AST's). [3]

Photo CD (Kodak, CD) [95]

Process Control Device [95]

Scripts to convert PCD images to commented HTML pages By giving some rules and commenting text in predefined files it is possible to convert Kodak Photo CD data into linked HTML pages with describing text. English and German pages can be created. [3]

Program Controlled Data Acquisition [95]

Personal Computer DOS (OS, DOS, IBM, PC), "PC-DOS" [95]

Purdue Computer Emergency Response Team [95]

Portable Compiled Font [95]

A variety of bitmapped fonts to be used with the X Window System. [8]

Paging CHannel (GSM, CCCH, mobile-systems) [95]

Characterize the bandwidth, latency and loss on network links pchar is a reimplementation of the pathchar utility, written by Van Jacobson. Both programs attempt to characterize the bandwidth, latency, and loss of links along an end-to-end path through the Internet. pchar works in both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. [3]

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) [95]

Protocol Control Information (OSI, ETSI) [95]

PCI supports the useful concept that every vendor and device have unique hex IDs. For instance, Intel has chosen to represent themselves by the completely random number 0x8086 as their vendor ID. PCI cards will provide their IDs on request. You will see numerical values listed in the output of lspci, scanpci, and cat /proc/pci, especially if the respective utility cannot look up the vendor name from the ID number. The file /usr/share/pci.ids ( /usr/share/misc/pci.ids on Debian) from the pciutils package contains a complete table of all IDs and their corresponding names. The kudzu package also has a table /usr/share/kudzu/pcitable containing the information we are really looking for: ID to kernel module mappings. This enables you to use the intended scientific method for locating the correct PCI module from the kernel's /proc/pci data. The file format is easy to understand, and as an exercise you should try writing a shell script to do the lookup automatically. [40]

Personal Communications Industry Association (org., USA, SMS) [95]

PC card I/O Card (PCMCIA, I/O) [95]

Permis de Conduire Informatique Europeen (ECDL) [95]

PCI Power Management [specification] (PCI), "PCI PM" [95]

Portable Common Interface Set [95]

read/write PCI config space [34]

Linux PCI Utilities (for 2.[1234].x kernels) This package contains various utilities for inspecting and setting of devices connected to the PCI bus. Requires kernel version 2.1.82 or newer (supporting the /proc/bus/pci interface). [3]

Personal Computer / unIX (IBM, PC), "PC/IX" [95]

Personal Computer Integrated eXchange Format (OS/2), "PC/IXF" [95]

Portable Common LOOPS (CLOS) [95]

Printer Control Language (HP) [95]

Programmable Command Language (CMU, DEC, TOPS) [95]

Clock Dock app for Window Maker window manager This is a nice analog clock. It allows different XPMs as backgrounds as well as different configurations of hands and such to match with the XPM. Make sure to check the examples for some included XPM's besides the default [3]

Personal Computer Manufacturer [95]

Physical Connection Management (FDDI, SMT) [95]

Plug Compatible Machine [95]

Pulse Coded Modulation [95]

A technique used to transform an incoming analog signal into a noise-free, digital equivalent. In multimedia, PCM us used to sample sounds digitally. [39]

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (org.) [95]

see Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). [94]

PCMCIA Card Services for Linux. PCMCIA cards are commonly used in laptops to provide expanded capabilities, such as modems, increased memory, etc. Some desktop PCs can accept PCMCIA cards as well, although this is rare. Card Services for Linux is a complete PCMCIA support package. It includes a set of client drivers for specific cards, and a card manager daemon that can respond to card insertion and removal events, loading and unloading drivers on demand. It supports 'hot swapping'' of PCMCIA cards, so cards can be inserted and ejected at any time. The actual kernel modules required for this package are contained in the pcmcia-modules-<kernel version> package, where <kernel version> is the version of the kernel for which the modules have been compiled. The wireless-tools package is required by wireless network adapters. The hotplug package is required by 2.4 (and later) series kernels to use PCI (Cardbus) devices. [3]

PCMCIA Modules for Linux (kernel 2.2.20). This package contains the set of loadable kernel modules for the PCMCIA Card Services applications program interface. They have been compiled to be compatible with the kernel in the kernel-image-2.2.20 package version 2.2.20-5. If you have compiled your own kernel, you will most likely need to also recompile the PCMCIA modules. The pcmcia-source package has been provided to help Debian users recompile the PCMCIA modules to work with their kernels' configurations. (It also is possible to rebuild these modules using the Debian source files for the pcmcia-cs package.) The utilities in the pcmcia-cs package are required to use these modules. [3]

Project & Configuration Management System [95]

Personal Computer Message Terminal [95]

Personal Communications Network [95]

Public Communications Network (mobile-systems) [95]

Personal Computer Network File System [95]

Personal Computer / Network Operating System (OS, MS-DOS, CP/M), "PC/NOS" [95]

Point of Control and Observation (ISO 9646-1, IUT) [95]

Programmable completion for Emacs Pcomplete provides a facility for using programmatic completion in Emacs. It is especially useful for utilities like shells and command interpretors, but can in fact be used anywhere within Emacs. [