Interrupt Request Line (IRQ)
Abbreviation of interrupt request line, and pronounced I-R-Q. IRQs are hardware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. When you add a new device to a PC, you sometimes need to set its IRQ number by setting a DIP switch. This specifies which interrupt line the device may use. IRQ conflicts used to be a common problem when adding expansion boards, but the Plug-and-Play specification has removed this headache in most cases.
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Short for the Internet Research Task Force, an organization that forms research groups to explore developments in Internet protocols, applications, architecture and other technology. The organization is chartered by the Internet Architecture Board.
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Pronounced as separate letters, and short for Information Systems or Information Services. For many companies, IS is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IT (Information Technology) and MIS (Management Information Services). Information systems support different types of decisions at different levels of […]
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Abbreviation for Indexed Sequential Access Method, a method for managing how a computer accesses records and files stored on a hard disk. While storing data sequentially, ISAM provides direct access to specific records through an index. This combination results in quick data access regardless of whether records are being accessed sequentially or randomly. There are […]
- ISAPI
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