IPL is an
abbreviation (or is it an
acronym? I'm
confused) and stands for Initial Program Load. I believe the term was coined by
IBM.
It refers to the process of loading a first program into
the
computer in order to facilitate running an
Operating
System or other
programmes on said computer.
Unfortunately the
Jargon file does not contain a reference
to IPL.
See also
RIPL.