Programming terms starting with I

73 terms

i-appli Sometimes called "Java for i-mode", i-appli is a Java environment based on CLDC. It is used on handsets in NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service.
i-mode A standard used by Japanese wireless devices to access cHTML (compact HTML) Web sites and display animated GIFs and other multimedia content.
I/O Input/Output .
icon In a GUI, a picture or drawing which is activated by clicking a mouse to command the computer program to perform a predefined series of events.
IDE (Integrated Development Environment) An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) provides a programming environment as a single application.
iDEN (Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network) The Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network (iDEN) is a wireless network system developed by Motorola.
identifier A programmer-defined name for a variable, method, class or interface.
IDL Interface Definition Language. A language used to define interfaces to remote CORBA objects.
IEEE 754 Standard 754-1985 issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers for binary floating point arithmetic.
IF Ironforge
if statement A control structure used to choose between performing or not performing further actions.
if-else statement A control structure used to choose between performing one of two alternative actions.
IIOP Internet Inter-ORB Protocol. A protocol used for communication between CORBA object request brokers.
image map An image divided into logical areas, each of which has a hot spot.
immutable object An object whose state may not be changed. Objects of the String class are immutable, for instance - their length and contents are fixed once created.
impatience The anger you feel when the computer is being lazy. This makes you write programs that don't just react to your needs, but actually anticipate them.
imperative programming The style of programming usually associated with languages such as C, Fortran, Pascal and so on.
impersonation The ability of a thread to run in the security context of a security principal different from the security principal that started the process.
Implementation How a piece of code actually goes about doing its job. Users of the code should not count on implementation details staying the same unless they are part…
implements A Java keyword included in the class declaration to specify any interfaces that are implemented by the current class.
implements clause That part of of a class header that indicates which interfaces are implemented by the class. A class may implement more than one interface.
implicit type conversion Type conversion that does not require a cast. Implicit type conversions typically do not involve any loss of information.
Import Data brought into an environment or application which has been exported from another environment or application.
import statement A statement that makes the names of one or more classes or interfaces available in a different package from the one in which they are defined.
inconsistent state A state that an object should not be in. A class needs to be carefully designed in order to ensure that none of its instances can get into an inconsistent…
increment To increase the value of something by 1 (or by some other number, if so specified).
increment operator An operator (++) that adds one to its operand. It has two forms: pre-increment (++x) and post-increment (x++).
indexing Universal term for Coding and Data Entry.
indirect filehandle An "expression" that evaluates to something that can be used as a "filehandle": a "string" (filehandle name), a "typeglob", a typeglob "reference", or a…
indirect object In English grammar, a short noun phrase between a verb and its direct object indicating the beneficiary or recipient of the action.
indirect object slot The syntactic position falling between a method call and its arguments when using the indirect object invocation syntax.
indirect recursion Recursion that results from method Y calling method X, when an existing call from X to Y is still in progress.
indirection If something in a program isn't the value you're looking for but indicates where the value is, that's indirection.
infinite loop A loop whose termination test never evaluates to false. Sometimes this is a deliberate act on the part of the programmer, using a construct such as…
infinite recursion Recursion that does not terminate. This can result from any of direct recursion, indirect recursion or mutual recursion.
infix An "operator" that comes in between its operands, such as multiplication in 24 * 7.
information hiding The practice of ensuring that only as much information is revealed about the implementation of a class as is strictly required.
inheritance The transmission of genes and phenotypes from generation to generation.
inheritance hierarchy The relationship between super classes and sub classes is known as an inheritance hierarchy.
initialization parameter A parameter that initializes the context associated with a servlet.
initializer A block defined at the outermost level of a class - similar to a method without a header.
inner class A class defined inside an enclosing class or method. We use the term to refer to non-static nested classes.
instance Area of the game that is for you and your party alone.
instance method Any method that is invoked with respect to an instance of a class. Also called simply a method. See also class method.
instance variable A non-static field of a class. Each individual object of a class has its own copy of such a field.
instanceof A two-argument Java keyword that tests whether the runtime type of its first argument is assignment compatible with its second argument.
instantiation The creation of an instance of a class - that is, an object.
instruction set The set of instructions that characterize a particular Central Processing Unit.
INT Intelligence
integer A number without a decimal (0, 1, 25, 173, 1032, etc.). Integer values can be less than, equal to, or greater than zero.
interface (1) A shared boundary defined by common physical interconnection characteristics, signal characteristics, and meanings of interchanged signals.
interface inheritance When a class implements an interface, an interface inheritance relationship exists between them.
Internet A worldwide network of networks that all use the TCP/IP communications protocol and share a common address space.
Internet Service Provider An Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides connections to the Internet for users who do not have their own network.
interpolation The estimation of z values of a surface at an unsampled point based on the known z values of surrounding points.
interpretational inner class An inner class whose role is to provide a view or interpretation of data belong to its enclosing class, but independent of the data's actual…
interpreter A program which executes a translated version of a source program by implementing a virtual machine.
interprocess communication The ability of two or more separate processes to communicate with one another.
interrupt An asynchronous message sent to a process or thread that interrupts what it is currently doing.
invocant The agent on whose behalf a "method" is invoked. In a "class" method, the invocant is a package name.
invocation The act of calling up a deity, daemon, program, method, subroutine, or function to get it do what you think it's supposed to do.
IO (1) Information Operations. (2) Integrated Optic.
IP Within the peritoneal cavity (the area that contains the abdominal organs). Also called intraperitoneal.
IP Address A string of four numbers separated by periods used to represent a computer on the Internet.
IPC Information Policy Committee.
is-a A relationship between two objects in which one object is considered to be a more specific version of the other, generic object: "A camel is a mammal.
is-a relationship See inheritance.
ISO 3166 The international standard for country codes maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
ISV Interceptor Sensor Vehicle.
iteration Repetition of a set of statements, usually using a looping control structure, such as a while loop, for loop or do loop.
iterator A special programming gizmo that keeps track of where you are in something that you're trying to iterate over.
iterator pattern A common pattern in which the contents of a collection are iterated over in order.
IV Interceptor Vehicle.