Splash screen
From Free net encyclopedia
Splash screen is a term used to describe an image that appears while a computer program is loading.
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Explanation
The name is a misnomer, as splash screens frequently don't cover the entire screen, but occupy only a rectangle near the center. The splash screens of operating systems and some applications that expect to be run full-screen usually cover the entire screen.
Purpose
Splash screens are typically used by especially large applications to notify the user that the program is in the process of loading. In other words, they provide feedback that a sometimes lengthy process is under way. A splash screen disappears when the application's main window appears.
Splash screens typically serve to enhance the look and feel of an application or web site, and hence are often visually appealing, and may also have animations, graphics and sound. However, since they may sometimes take a long time to load, they are not universally liked by users. Web splash screens are especially inconvenient for users with slow internet connections, as the first page takes longer to load.
Origin
Possibly by analogy with splash page.
External links
- Splash screens - Few list of splash screens and information on how to remove or add.
- GUIde Book Gallery of splash screens - Screenshots of many different applications' splash screens, including previous versions.
