ABSTRACT
Definition: Refers to a unique personal identification code comprised of a set of alphanumeric characters (often 6 to 10 characters) that is used in conjunction with a unique password to gain access as a subscriber to a secure system, such as a portion of an Internet web site. (See Authentication, Password, and SSL.)
iLife Suite Level: 1 Definition: An expanding set of integrated software applications developed by Apple to bring nearly all aspects of digital media entertainment and development to the masses. As of July of 2005, the iLife Suite included the following applications: iPhoto (for photo manipulation, organization, and display), iMovie (for creating digital movies), iDVD (for authoring DVDs), GarageBand (for doing digital audio production), and iTunes (for purchasing, listening to, and sharing digital audio). (See also Apple, Digital Media, and iMac.)
IM (See Instant Messaging.)
iMac Level: 1 Definition: Introduced by Apple in 1998 and first recognized for its distinctive style and translucent casing, these personal computers have maintained a small but significant share of the global home, school, and small-office markets. Especially popular among educators, artists, and designers, the iMac provides a viable alternative to the Microsoft-dominated Wintel offerings that proliferate in computing today. (See also Apple and Wintel.)
Image Map Level: 2 Definition: In Internet HTML processing, a graphical image containing so-called “hotspots” based on image mapping coding. When a user clicks on a hotspot the browser loads a corresponding document linked by image mapping software. (See also Hotspot.)
Definition: The process of digitizing and manipulating video images, which has been created via digital scanning or captured on tape or disc by digital cameras. Image processing also entails converting or processing visual or graphical images, pictures, motion, text, and so on into digital “machine-readable” formats such as when a picture is scanned into a computer. The scanner converts the picture or image by breaking it down into small pieces represented in digital binary format for storage and later retrieval purposes. (See also Digital Camera and Scanner.)
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) Level: 2 Definition: Refers to a protocol, or set of rules, that allows users on a client computer to gain access to and manipulate e-mail that resides on a central server. Users can synchronize their client and their server e-mail boxes as they read e-mail, create and remove folders and messages, search for messages on the server and/or client, and much more. IMAP is one of the most popular enterprise-level e-mail protocols in use today. Used in a sentence: “I set up my e-mail account
to use IMAP so that I could manage my single e-mail account using different computers.” (See also Client/Server and E-mail.)
Impedance (Z) Level: 2 Definition: A measure of the total amount of opposition encountered in an electrical circuit against the flow of alternating current (AC). Impedance is measured in ohms and expressed as (Z) in mathematical formulas. The impedance measure in AC systems is different from DC circuit resistance (also in ohms) due to the inclusion of AC energy storage parameters resulting in a vector-summed quantity, somewhat like the hypotenuse of a triangle. Maximum power transfer occurs when impedances are matched between two devices. Mismatches in impedance cause part of the signal to be reflected, causing distortions in the signals.
