IDE
Short for Integrated Drive Electronics or IBM Disc Electronics, IDE is more commonly known as ATA or Parallel ATA (PATA) and is a standard interface for IBM compatible hard drives. IDE is different from the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and Enhanced Small Device Interface (ESDI) because its controllers are on each drive, meaning the drive can connect directly to the motherboard or controller. IDE and its updated successor, Enhanced IDE (EIDE), are the most common drive interfaces found in IBM compatible computers today. Below is a picture of the actual IDE connector on the back of a hard disk drive, a picture of what an IDE cable looks like, and the IDE channels it connects to on the motherboard.
- See the ATA definition for further information and a full break down of the ATA history.
- ATA, ATAPI, IDE, and other computer interfaces help and support.
- Advantages of SATA over PATA.
2. Short for Integrated Development Environment, IDE also sometimes referred to as IDLE, IDEs are visual tools that allow programmers to develop programs better. Commonly, an IDE may have a compiler, debugger, text editor, and other integrated tools. Smalltalk was the first programming language to have a first true IDE.
Also see: .NET, Bus, Channel, Cable, Connection, Data cable, EIDE, Floppy cable, Hard disk drive definitions, Motherboard definitions, PIIX, Programming definitions