Interactive

[in-ter-ak-tiv] /ˌɪn tərˈæk tɪv/

adjective
1.
acting one upon or with the other.
2.
of or relating to a two-way system of electronic communications, as by means of television or computer:
interactive communications between families using two-way cable television.
3.
(of a computer program or system) with a human user, often in a conversational way, to obtain data or commands and to give immediate results or updated information:
For many years airline reservations have been handled by interactive computer systems.
/ˌɪntərˈæktɪv/
adjective
1.
allowing or relating to continuous two-way transfer of information between a user and the central point of a communication system, such as a computer or television
2.
(of two or more persons, forces, etc) acting upon or in close relation with each other; interacting
adj.

1832, from interact, probably on model of active. Related: Interactivity.

If users receive real-time feedback from a computer so that they can modify the use of the machine, the hardware, software, or content, the system is said to be interactive.

A network simulation language.
[“Design and Implementation of a Pascal Based Interactive Network Simulation Language”, R. Lakshmanan, PhD Thesis, Oakland U, Rochester MI 1983].
(1995-01-12)

programming
A term describing a program whose input and output are interleaved, like a conversation, allowing the user’s input to depend on earlier output from the same run.
The interaction with the user is usually conducted through either a text-based interface or a graphical user interface. Other kinds of interface, e.g. using speech recognition and/or speech synthesis, are also possible.
This is in contrast to batch processing where all the input is prepared before the program runs and so cannot depend on the program’s output.
(1996-06-21)