Updated 10/01 Copyright 2001, J.Graham; All rights reserved.
IBM PC: The first mass marketed IBM microcomputer.
IBM XT: The first mass marketed IBM microcomputer with a hard disk.
Icon: A small picture on the screen used to start a program or give a command.
Infrastructure: Long-term stucture or facilities. In IT this can refer to hardware, software, data collections, communications channels, people, and procedures.
Implementation: Two meanings: (1) The stage of system development where programs are written, software and hardware are purchased and installed, the system is tested and put into operation. (2) The particular way that the hardware and/or software are constructed and set up to perform a particular task.
Information: Anything that has meaning beyond itself. Information is abstract. Material objects are not in themselves information. For example, the information in a book is not the same as the book itself. The difference between data and information is that data is not in a form which is immediately useable.
Input: (verb) To put data into a system or (noun) the data being put into the system.
Input Device: A device used for getting data into the computer system. There are many kinds of input devices, but the most common are the keyboard and the mouse. To see examples of various keyboards and mice, click here and scroll down.
Input/Output (IO): Input and/or output.
Instant Messanging: A system which is used to allow people to carry on conversations over the Internet or other network. The most popular form of instant messanging uses only text (typing) but voice and video systems are also available. Unlike the chat room, which allows people to chat in groups, instant messanging allows people to chat in pairs.
Instructions: The commands that the CPU can carry out and which comprise computer programs.
Instruction Set: The set of instructions that a particular CPU can carry out.
Intellectual Property: Creations of the mind that are considered property. The rights to intellectual property are protected by copyright and patent law. Book suggestion: Internet Publishing and Beyond: The Economics of Digital Information and Intellectual Property
Interactive System: A system which accepts input and output at various times while a program is running, and can therefore have a dialog with the user. Most contemporary systems are interactive. Non-interactive systems require that all input be prepared in advance before the program is started.
Internal Drive: A drive which has been installed in the system unit.
Internet: Huge world wide network comprised of smaller networks.
Internet Protocol(IP) A set of rules that is used for routing packets (directing traffic) on the Internet. IP can also be used on smaller networks which may or may not be connected to the Internet.
Internet Relay Chat: An protocol which is used by several systems of public chat servers. The popular client program to use with these chat servers is called MIRC.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): A company that connects people and/or organizations to the Internet.
Intranet: A network which is similar in function to the Internet, but is for use within an organization. An intranet may make use of the infrastructure of the internet. Book suggestion: Internet and Intranet Development for Business Advantage (ComputerWeekly Professional Series)
Internetworking: The technology of connecting different computer networks and using them together. Book suggestion: Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. I: Principles,Protocols, and Architecture.
IP Network: A network which uses Internet Protocol, which is the set of rules used for routing packets of information on the Internet.
Java: A programming language used to write small programs called "applets" which can download automatically from web pages. Java is machine independent, which means that the same program can, in effect, be run on different types of machines. Book suggestions: Beginning Java 2, Asunder : An Unauthorized History of the Origins of Java Programming Language.
Java 2 An enhanced version of Java. For more information, click here.
Knowledge: Consists of information, techniques, understanding, and reasoning.
Knowledge Management System:: A system which manages knowledge.
Laptop: A microcomputer which is small enough to fit in a person's lap.
Leased Lines: Communications paths that are leased from a phone company or other communications company. In pre-Internet times, large companies who use leased lines to send information over long distances. Now the Internet can be used instead.
Legacy System: A system which uses old technology but which is still in use. Legacy systems may be kept in use either because they work well or because it is too much trouble to replace them.
Library: A collection of reuseable program parts used by programmers to help create programs. In object oriented programming, libraries of objects are used.
Linux: An operating system based on UNIX which can be used on microcomputers. The Linux operating system itself is free, but it is often packaged with books or utility programs which people pay for. For more information on Linux, click here. To see a popular commercially available LINUX package click here.
Local Area Network: A network in a building or a campus sized area.
Logic Bomb: When a program is programmed to perform a malicious action at a certain date or time, or when a certain condition is reached.
Lotus 1-2-3: A spreadsheet program. Book suggestion: 1-2-3 For Windows Release 5 Essentials.
Low Level: Closer to the machinery than to the user.
Low Level Language: Machine language or assembly language.