| I/O |
Stands for "Input/Output" and is pronounced simply "eye-oh." Computers are based on the fundamental idea that every... |
| I/O Address |
Each I/O device connected to your computer is mapped to a unique I/O (Input/Output) address. These addresses are... |
| IBM Compatible |
The personal computer market in the early 1980's consisted primarily of Apple and IBM computers. Apple's systems ran a... |
| ICANN |
Stands for "Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers." The ICANN is an non-profit corporation that is... |
| ICF |
Stands for "Internet Connection Firewall." ICF is a Windows XP feature that protects computers connected to the... |
| ICMP |
Stands for "Internet Control Message Protocol." When information is transferred over the Internet, computer systems... |
| Icon |
Ever since the Macintosh was introduced in 1984, icons have been the way we view files on computers. An icon on your... |
| ICQ |
ICQ is a popular online chat program that allows users to communicate with each other over the Internet. It is similar... |
| ICS |
Stands for "Internet Connection Sharing." ICS allows multiple computers to connect to the Internet using the same... |
| ICT |
ICT is short for "Information and Communication Technologies." It is similar to IT (Information Technology), but... |
| IDE |
IDE may either stand for "Integrated Device Electronics" or "Integrated Development Environment." The first is a... |
| IEEE |
Stands for the "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers." This is a non-profit organization that develops... |
| IGP |
Stands for "Integrated Graphics Processor." An IGP is a graphics chip that is integrated into a computer's... |
| Illegal Operation |
When a program on your computer has an error, you may see a message pop up on the screen saying, "Illegal Operation... |
| IM |
Stands for "Instant Message." Instant messaging, or "IMing," as frequent users call it, has become a popular way to... |
| IMAP |
Stands for "Internet Message Access Protocol" and is pronounced "eye-map." It is a method of accessing e-mail messages... |
| Impact Printer |
An impact printer is a printer that strikes a print head against an ink ribbon to mark the paper. Common examples... |
| Impression |
It is said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Well, in the wonderful world of the World... |
| Inbox |
An inbox is the main folder that your incoming mail gets stored in. Whether you check your mail through a webmail... |
| Index |
An index is a list of data, such as group of files or database entries. It is typically saved in a plain text format... |
| Infotainment |
Infotainment is a combo word, like "fantabulous," that combines two words into one. It refers to television shows... |
| Inkjet |
Inkjet printers are the most common type of consumer printers. The inkjet technology works by spraying very fine drops... |
| Input |
Whenever you enter data into your computer, it is referred to as input. This can be text typed in a word processing... |
| Input Device |
An input device is any device that provides input to a computer. There are dozens of possible input devices, but the... |
| Install |
Most software programs require that you first install them on your computer before using them. For example, if you buy... |
| Installer |
In order to install new software on your computer, you often need to run an installer program. This program unpacks... |
| Integer |
An integer is a whole number (not a fraction) that can be positive, negative, or zero. Therefore, the numbers... |
| Integrated Circuit |
An integrated circuit, or IC, is small chip that can function as an amplifier, oscillator, timer, microprocessor, or... |
| Intellectual Property |
Intellectual property refers to the ownership of intangible and non-physical goods. This includes ideas, names... |
| Interface |
An interface is a port on a hardware device that allows it to connect to another device. Common hardware interfaces... |
| Interlaced |
A common way to compress video is to interlace it. Each frame of an interlaced video signal shows every other... |
| Internal Hard Drive |
As the name implies, an internal hard drive is a hard drive located inside a computer. Nearly all computers come with... |
| Internet |
Believe it or not, the Internet was created way back in 1969, during the Cold War, by the United States military. It... |
| InterNIC |
Stands for "Internet Network Information Center." The InterNIC is an organization created by the National Science... |
| Intranet |
Contrary to popular belief, this is not simply a misspelling of "Internet." "Intra" means "internal" or "within," so... |
| IP |
Stands for "Internet Protocol." It provides a standard set of rules for sending and receiving data through the... |
| IP Address |
Also known as an "IP number" or simply an "IP," this is a code made up of numbers separated by three dots that... |
| iPad |
The iPad is a lightweight tablet PC developed by Apple. It looks similar to an iPhone, but has a much larger... |
| iPhone |
Apple's iPhone is a smartphone that functions as a mobile phone, an iPod, and can run third-party apps. It runs the... |
| iPod |
The iPod is a portable music player developed by Apple Computer. Though it is an Apple product, the iPod can be used... |
| IPv4 |
IPv4 is the fourth revision of the Internet Protocol and is the most common version used today. It uses 32-bit... |
| IPv6 |
Every computer system and device connected to the Internet is located by an IP address. The current system of... |
| IPX |
Stands for "Internetwork Packet Exchange." (I didn't know "exchange" started with an "x" either.) It is a networking... |
| IRC |
Stands for "Internet Relay Chat." IRC makes it possible for people using the Internet to converse with each other in... |
| IRQ |
Stands for "Interrupt Request." PCs use interrupt requests to manage various hardware operations. Devices such as... |
| ISA |
Stands for "Industry Standard Architecture." ISA is a type of bus used in PCs for adding expansion cards. For example... |
| iSCSI |
Stands for "Internet Small Computer Systems Interface." iSCSI is an extension of the standard SCSI storage interface... |
| ISDN |
Stands for "Integrated Services Digital Network." No, it's not the same thing as the ISBN you see in books. ISDN is a... |
| ISO |
Stands for "International Organization for Standardization." Yes, technically the acronym should be "IOFS," but I... |
| ISP |
Stands for "Internet Service Provider." In order to connect to the Internet, you need an ISP. It is the company that... |
| IT |
Stands for "Information Technology," and is pronounced "I.T." It refers to anything related to computing technology... |
| Iteration |
Iteration is the repetition of a function or process in a computer program. Iterations of functions are common in... |
| iTunes |
iTunes is an audio playback program developed by Apple Computer. You can use iTunes to import songs from CDs as well... |
| IVR |
Stands for "Interactive Voice Response." IVR is a telephony technology that can read a combination of touch tone and... |
