The unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network. Any information passes over the network is encapsulated within packets.
PCI is short form of Peripheral Component Interconnect. It is an interconnection system between a microprocessor and attached devices in which expansion slots are spaced closely for high speed operation.
PCMCIA is short form of Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. It is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer.
PCS is short form of Personal Communications Services. It is a wireless phone service somewhat similar to cellular telephone service but emphasizing personal service and extended mobility.
PDA is short form of Personal Digital Assistant. It is defined as any small mobile hand-held device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedule calendars and address book information handy.
PDF is short form of Portable Document Format. It is a file format developed by Adobe that has captured all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image that you can view, navigate, print, or forward to someone else.
PGP is short form of Pretty Good Privacy. It is a popular program used to encrypt and decrypt e-mail over the Internet. It can also be used to send an encrypted digital signature that lets the receiver verify the sender's identity and knows that the message was not changed en route.
PHP is a script language and interpreter that is freely available. Its scripts is embedded within a Web page along with its HTML. Before the page is sent to a user that has requested it, the Web server calls PHP to interpret and perform the operations called for in the PHP script.
PHS is short form of Personal Handyphone System. It is a lightweight portable wireless telephone that functions as a cordless phone in the home and as a mobile phone elsewhere. The Personal Handyphone also handles voice, fax, and video signals. It is developed by the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.
PKI is short form of Public Key Infrastructure. It is a framework, which allows users of, a basically insecure public network such as the Internet to securely and privately exchange data and money through the use of a public and a private cryptographic key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted authority.
PPP is short form of Point-to-Point Protocol. It is a protocol for communication between two computers using a serial interface, typically a personal computer connected by phone line to a server.
