The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
Inter-process Communication
(IPC) Exchange of data between
one process and another, either within the same computer or
over a network. It implies a protocol that guarantees a
response to a request. Examples are Unix sockets, RISC
OS's messages, OS/2's Named Pipes, Microsoft Windows'
DDE, Novell's SPX and Macintosh's IAC.
Although IPC is performed automatically by programs, an
analogous function can be performed interactively when users
cut and paste data from one process to another using a
clipboard.
(1995-12-14)