Online Computer Terms Dictionary - I

interactive

<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)