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Glossary: I
- IBM-compatible
- A computer based on Intel microprocessors that uses the MS-DOS operating system. The first popular Intel/DOS machine was the IBM Personal Computer (Intel 8088 processor).
- icon
- A picture on a computer screen with a graphical user interface that represents a physical object, such as a file folder, a program, or a trash can.
- if/then/else condition
- A branching condition in both pseudocode and structured programming.
- image analysis
- A research field in computer science concerned with developing technologies for automatic understanding of what a computer is seeing, such as identifying a target or an incoming enemy missile with a smart weapon.
- impact printer
- A printer in which a keystroke actually hits the paper, like a typewriter, to produce hard copy.
- indexing
- A text processing application to index a text, which works best when the user is actively involved in the process.
- inference engine
- In an expert system, the use of reasoning, based on using the knowledge encoded into the system, to solve problems.
- "information appliance"
- Current jargon for a wide range of computer devices expected in the near future that will allow users to access information on the Internet with easy-to-use interfaces.
- information retrieval
- A field of specialization in computer science that looks at systematic ways of storing and retrieving data, including consideration of database design and implementation.
- Information Superhighway
- A common term for the growth of infrastructure involving the Internet and the spread of high-speed data network services throughout the United States.
- information utility
- A term applied to a commercial network information service like CompuServe or Prodigy that sells access to its wide variety of files and public forums.
- ink-jet printer
- An inexpensive nonimpact printer in which tiny dot patterns are sprayed onto paper to form characters.
- input
- The process of transferring data into a computer system for storage and processing.
- insectoids
- The robotic insects designed by researchers who investigate insect control systems to create artificial life.
- instruction decoder
- A part of the control unit of the CPU which receives machine language instructions, interprets them, and carries them out.
- integer
- Any positive or negative whole number, including zero.
- integrated package
- Multifunctional software that combines several applications under one consistent user interface. Different application programs in the package can share data with each other.
- intelligent agent
- Experimental AI software designed to sift through masses of information available in the future world of cyberspace to suggest topics of interest or importance for an individual.
- interactive computer graphics
- A term applied to software and hardware systems that allow complicated graphics repositioning to be carried out in real time, such as in fine CAD systems.
- interactive multimedia
- A multimedia production produced for access on a computer so that a user can move around among its resources in any order.
- interactivity
- A characteristic of multimedia software that expects users to respond directly to the choices available on the screen and thus customize what is presented to their needs or wishes.
- internal clock speed
- Measured in megahertz, the speed of the CPU clock determines how quickly binary instructions are retrieved from memory and processed.
- Internet
- The largest network of interconnected computers in the world and the most common name for the Information Superhighway.
- INTERNIST
- An expert system from the University of Pittsburgh for use in identifying infections in internal medicine, based on a knowledge base of information about more than 500 diseases and their symptoms.
- interpreter
- A computer program that translates a high-level instruction to machine language, line by line, and then executes it before considering the next instruction.
- iteration (looping)
- One of the four main constructs in structured programming for executing a series of steps repeatedly in a program, often called looping.