persistence

1. programming A property of a programming language where

created objects and variables continue to exist and retain

their values between runs of the program.

2. hardware The length of time a phosphor dot on the screen

of a cathode ray tube will remain illuminated after it has

been energised by the electron beam. Long-persistence

phosphors reduce flicker, but generate ghost-like images that

linger on screen for a fraction of a second.

(1994-11-09)