File:Data-transfer.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
icon
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pictogram (or ideogram) used in computing
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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In computing, an icon is a graphic symbol displayed on a computer screen in order to help the user navigate a computer system. It may also be a hardware icon. It can serve as an electronic hyperlink or file shortcut to access the program or data. The user can activate an icon using a mouse, pointer, finger, or voice commands. Their placement on the screen, also in relation to other icons, may provide further information to the user about their usage. In activating an icon, the user can move directly into and out of the identified function without knowing anything further about the location or requirements of the file or code.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “icon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.