interactive

views updated May 14 2018

in·ter·ac·tive / ˌintərˈaktiv/ • adj. (of two people or things) influencing or having an effect on each other: fully sighted children in interactive play with others with defective vision. ∎  (of a computer or other electronic device) allowing a two-way flow of information between it and a user, responding to the user's input: interactive video.DERIVATIVES: in·ter·ac·tive·ly adv.in·ter·ac·tiv·i·ty / -akˈtivitē/ n.

interactive

views updated May 21 2018

interactive Describing a system or a mode of working in which there is a response to operator instructions as they are input. The instructions may be presented via an input device such as a keyboard or mouse, and the effect is observable sufficiently rapidly that the operator can work almost continuously. This mode of working is thus sometimes referred to as conversational mode. An interactive system for multiple users will achieve the effect by time sharing. See also multiaccess system.

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