The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The term channel refers to a communications path between two computers or devices, such as fax machines. A channel can be physical, such as the wires or other materials that connect the two units. For personal computers, a channel is the same as an expansion bus--the collection of wires and protocols that permits the insertion of circuit boards to expand the performance of the computer.
A channel functions to provide a direct or more indirect, switched point-to-point connection. The latter are manifest as networks. The advent of networks, with both their volume and the high speed of information, has necessitated the development of other forms of channels. Fibre channels were developed, for example. Fibre channels provide a serial link between computers, ranging from supercomputers to desktop personal computers to peripheral devices. High-speed Internet hookups that utilize cables are a type of fiber connection.