I-Beam

The cursors' shape when typing text. It sounds like an aliens'
weapon or something.

I/O

Address Locations within the input/output address space of your
computer used by a device, such as a printer or modem.

IBM

Stands for International Business Machines. IBM is a huge
company that started out with computer mainframes and 
typewriters. Now they make their own operating system,
OS/2, and make their own computers for personal use.

ICMP

Stands for "Internet Control Messaging Protocol". This is used
through pings. When a person gets "ICMPed", it means they
are being ping attacked or flooded with large packets of data
sent to their IP address.

Icon

A little picture representing a folder, application or document.

ICQ 

A user-friendly Internet program that tells you who's online at all
times. No longer will you search in vain for friends and associates
on the Net. ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real
time when friends or colleagues sign on. With ICQ, you can chat, 
send messages and files, play games, or just hang out with your
fellow netizens as you surf the Net.   Submitted By:  Pete

IDE

Integrated Drive Electronics
A type of interface for controlling hard disks.

Idle Time

The time when a computer or user sits around doing nothing.
 

IE
Internet Explorer... Microsoft's Web Browser

iMac

A Macintosh designed for easy access to the Internet, in a futuristic translucent case

IMAGE EDITOR

A program that can be used to make changes in computer graphics

Image Filter

A tool for modifying images in paint and photo editing programs.
Image filters can be used to adjust brightness and contrast, add textures, and create other special effects by changing the color and shading of pixels

Image Format

A format in which an image can be stored and used. An example of this would be BMP, JPEG, GIF and many others.

Image Map

A map or other graphic in an HTML document that has "hot spots"
or hyperlinks
 

Imagesetter

A high resolution printer used to print on film or for photographic use.

Imagewriter

Apple's dot-matrix printers.

Imaging

The production of images by photography, filming, videotaping, or scanning. Imaging often means not only preserving an image, but putting it into a form readable by
a computer
 

IMAP

A method of accessing e-mail or bulletin board messages that
are kept on a mail server. IMAP permits a "client" e-mail program 
to access remote messages as if they were on a the users local machine. E-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated
from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, 
and a notebook computer while traveling, without the need to
transfer messages or files back and forth between these
computers, as is usually the case with the POP style mail access
protocol. 

Import

To load a file created by another program

Impressions 

With regard to online advertising, it is the number of times an ad
banner is downloaded and presumably seen by users.  

Inactive Window

Any open window that you are not currently working in.

Incompatible

Not able to work together. Can be said of hardware/hardware, software/software, or hardware/software combinations

Incremental Backup

A backup of changed files since last backup.

Indefinite Iteration

Repeating a series of instructions an indefinite number of times
until a specific condition is met; for example, performing a search
until the item has been found or determined not to be there

Indent

Aligning a portion of text farther inside of the margin than the surrounding text

Inductance

1.A property of an electric circuit that causes an electromotive force to be induced in it by a variation of current either in the circuit itself or in a neighboring circuit.

 2.The measure of inductance, which is the ratio of induced electromotive force to the rate of change of the inducing current.

Infinite Loop

A computer stuck in a state where it keeps running the same instructions over and over again without stopping.

Information Packet

Information Technology

IT -  The technology of data processing/information management.

INIT

In system 6, they called these things INIT's. Now in System 7 and
7.5, we call them extensions.

Initialization Files

Files with the extension .INI that contain information that defines your
windows environment. Windows and applications use the information
stored in these files.

Initialize

To format a disk so there is no data on it. You usually do this if 
your hard drive is messed up and the only way to fix it is to erase
it completely and put a new everything on it.

Inkjet Printer

A printer that shoots out ink in small dots to make text and pictures
on the page.

Input Device

A peripheral device that is used to enter commands or information
into a computer, such as a keyboard, mouse.

Insertion Point

That blinking thing in a word processor that is always ahead of your
typing when you are typing.

Installer

A program used to install another program on your hard disk.

Instant Messaging

A live chat and email service that enables you to find your friends when they are online and send messages or talk via a private chat room. Each user has a private list of instant messaging addresses, and the instant messaging system can be set to alert you when someone on your list is online.

Instruction

A statement that indicates an operation for the computer to perform and any data to be used in performing the operation. An instruction can be in machine language or a programming language

Instruction Cache

High speed memory that holds the instructions to the CPU used most
recently. If those instructions are needed again, they're supplied by the
cache, eliminating the need for the CPU to access RAM, which takes
more time.  Submitted By Snapple0

Instruction Cycle

Each time a computer is given an instruction in machine language,
the CPU must complete a cycle of four steps: fetch the instruction
from main memory, decode it, execute it, and store the result. This
is known as the Instruction Cycle.

Integer

A whole number, which is any positive or negative number without fractions or decimals.

Integration

Putting diverse hardware and/or software components together to work as a system

Integrated Testing

Putting together software and/or hardware components and testing
to see that they work together

Intelligent Hub

A central connecting device in a network that provides intelligent functions as well as forwarding signals. An intelligent hub can provide bridging, routing and switching, and even more complex functions such as network management and LAN emulation

Intelligent Terminal

A terminal that is part of a larger system and uses a main computer
for storage of data, but has its own processing capability

Interactive

A term for computer programs that accept input from the user while they are running

Interface

The way a program looks and interacts with the user.

Interface Adapter

 A device that connects a computer or computer terminal to a network


Interleave

To arrange parts of one sequence of data so they alternate with parts of another sequence of the same type of data. Audio, images, or text may be stored in alternating segments this way. When a file is retrieved, the system puts the right segments back together again. This is usually done to make storage more efficient.

Intermittent Error

An error that occurs from time to time, but not constantly or  predictably.  Error's like this drive software programmers crazy.

Internal Bus

A bus connecting components that are very close to each other,
such as main memory and the central processing unit
 

Internal Interrupt

An interrupt caused by a machine instruction; for example, a need for input or output, a call for a subroutine, or certain errors.

Internet Access

Access to the Internet via a dial-up account or direct connection

internet Address

An IP address that identifies a specific computer or terminal on an internet.   The lowercase "i" in internet means a small computer network, rather than the Internet

Internet Address (capitol I)

A 32-bit address assigned to hosts using TCP/IP, given in dotted decimal notation; for example, 64.167.79.67

Internet Gateway

A system for converting messages between TCP/IP and other protocols. Through Internet gateways, all the various networks in
the world become one big network.

Interpret

To run a program from source code by reading it one line at a time
and performing each instruction immediately

Interpreter

A program which executes source code by reading it one line at a time and performing each instruction immediately. An interpreter is different from a compiler, which does not execute the source code, but translates it into object code

 

Interrupt

An instruction that rudely butts in, stops the computer from whatever it's doing and makes it do something completely different.  Whenever you press the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination you're causing an interrupt that restarts the computer.

Interrupt Handler

A routine that is called to deal with an interrupt

Intranet

A local area network which may not be connected to the Internet,
but which has some similar functions.

Invalid Directory

 A DOS error message that means the requested directory does
not exist

Invisible Files

Files that are on your hard disk but are designed so you can't see
them.

IP

An IP is a number address that is assigned to every single computer
signed on to the internet.   Submitted By Snapple0


IPA

International Phonetic Alphabet. An alphabet designed as a pronunciation guide for all languages, which represents each
sound in human speech with its own symbol.  For an example of another form of phonetic Alphabet the IPU see --> http://www.youthtech.com/hamradio/v-phonetics.htm

IRC

Internet Relay Chat. This is the internet's version of a chatroom.
IRCs reside on internet servers, similar to webpages. 
Submitted By ResLukRaaf

IRQ

An interrupt request line in a PC.  The IRQ is used by hardware devices to let the microprocessor know that they're ready to do something or that they have done something.

ISP

Internet Service Provider. A company that provides Internet accounts.