(1) A method of operation in which the actions that are available to a user are determined by the state or setting of the system, program, or device.
(2) In data communications, the set of rules and protocols to be used for a session.
(3) The processing state of an activity. An activity can be in an initial, active, dormant (that is, waiting for an event), cancelling, or complete mode.
(4) A collection of attributes that specifies a file's type and its access permissions.