Dot Matrix
Dot matrix may refer to any of the following:
1. The term dot matrix refers to the process of using dots to form an image. In a dot matrix image, the quality is determined by the number of dots per inch.
2. Alternatively referred to as a pin printer, dot matrix printers were first introduced by IBM in 1957. However, the first dot matrix impact printer was created by Centronics in 1970. Dot matrix printers use print heads to shoot ink or strike an ink ribbon to place hundreds to thousands of little dots to form text and images. Today, dot matrix printers are utilized far less than they used to be due to their low quality images and slow print speed when compared to inkjet printers and laser printers. However, they still see a lot of use in certain sectors such as auto part stores and package delivery companies.
DOT
Dot may refer to any of the following:
1. A dot is a single pixel on a matrix display.
2. Single small dot on a dot matrix printer print out.
3. A dot is a name of the period separating related pieces of information on the Internet such as www.computerhope.com, which would be pronounced www-dot-computerhope-dot-com.
4. In a RPG or MMORPG, DoT is short for Damage Over Time, which refers a spell or effect that damages a player or NPC periodically over a set interval. For example, a poisoned player may suffer 30 damage every second for ten seconds. In this case, the poison effect would be considered a "DoT."
Period
Alternatively referred to as a full stop or dot, a period ( . ) is a punctuation mark commonly found on the same US QWERTY keyboard key as the greater than ( > ).
Below is an overview of a computer keyboard with the comma key highlighted in blue.
On English PC and Mac keyboards, the period is on the same key as the > symbol. Pressing the period key with no other key creates a period.
To create a period on a smartphone or tablet, open the keyboard, go into the numbers (123) or symbols (sym) section, and then press your finger on the '.' symbol.
Computers use a period in the following ways.
1. With IBM compatible computers and their operating systems, a period is used to separate the file name from the file extension. For example, with the file "somefile.pdf" the "somefile" file name is separated from the "pdf" file extension.
2. In Linux, when listing files in a directory, a single period represents the current directory and a ".." (double period or "dot dot") represents the parent directory.
3. Two periods can be used with the cd command in the Windows command line and Linux to move back one directory.
4. The period is used to help create a URL and break up important portions of the URL. For example, with https://www.computerhope.com the https is the protocol, and the rest of the URL is the address accessed using that protocol.
5. It is used as or part of a wildcard in programming code.