OT: ISO and Image files-semantics problem

[alex <radsky@ncia.net>]

I'm having a semantics problem when it comes to discussions of ISO and 
image files.

In some documentations,  ISO's are sometimes called image files and 
sometimes image files are called ISO files  or so it seems to me.     

I've wasted a lot of time looking at FAQs, dozens of websites including 
CD burner information and other documents for clarification of this  
subject  and  still haven't found a definititive answer.  The way the 
two words, ISO and image, are used by some writers
makes it  very confusing  for me

Using a downloaded Debian ISO as an example-----is it correct to call it 
an image or does it become an image
only after it has been processed  into the CD that will be used to 
install Debian..  Please excuse the reference but to my mind, it seems 
that a download ISO is like a zipped  file in MS Windows  and the image 
like the unzipped version of it.

Is it ever correct to call the downloaded ISO an image and the extracted 
data. ISO?  

Can someone set me straight on this ISO and image business.?    Please 
don't just throw a couple of websites
at me........been there,  bookmarked them,  printed them, studied 
them,..............    

To make it easy for you (and me).  delete the incorrect  answer

A downloaded ISO    is        is  not       an  image.
The installation CD     is        is  not       an  image

alex