Splash screen 942358 222200616 2008-06-28T01:32:20Z CosineKitty 1750493 [[:en:User:NicoV/Wikipedia Cleaner/Documentation|WikiCleaner]] 0.76 - Repairing link to disambiguation page - [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links|You can help!]] {{unreferenced|date=August 2007}} [[Image:Inkscapesplash.png|thumb|A splash screen in [[Inkscape]] with the [[logo]] and version information]] '''Splash screen''' is a term used to describe an [[image]] that appears while a [[computer program]] is loading. Splash screens sometimes do not cover the entire [[computer screen|screen]], but 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 applications main window appears. Splash screens typically serve to enhance the [[look and feel]] of an application or [[web site]], and hence are often visually [[attractiveness|appealing]], and may also have [[animation]]s, graphics and [[sound]]. == Splash pages == On the [[Internet]], a '''splash screen''' or '''splash page''' is a [[web page|page]] of a [[web site]] that is a sort of pre-[[home page]] front page. Designers may use splash pages: * to restrict access to content such as [[pornography]], [[alcohol]] advertising or sales, or [[gambling]] (as is required by law in many countries, including the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]); * to direct users to the appropriate website for their [[country]] or [[language]]; * to direct users to a low-[[Bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] site or one more accessible to disabled users; * as an additional form of [[advertising]]. Since splash screens 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 connection]]s as the first page may take longer to load or (if the user has turned off [[Shockwave Flash]]) may not load at all. Splash pages created in [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] (and the associated main pages) often cannot be accessed by search engines or handled by text readers for the blind. == See also == * [[Comics vocabulary#Splash_page|Splash page]] - comic book terminology * [[bootsplash]] - splash displayed while booting up the computer. ==External links== *[http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/logo_spl.html Splash screens] - Information on how to remove various splash screens. *[http://www.digitallis.co.uk/pc/SplashKiller/index.html Digitalis SplashKiller] - Program that removes the majority of splash screens on Windows. *[http://www.guidebookgallery.org/splashes GUIde Book Gallery of splash screens] - [[Screenshots]] of many different applications' splash screens, including previous versions. *[http://phpexperts.blogspot.com/2007/05/splash-screens-with-php-gtk.html PHP GTK Splash screens] - Information on how to programming splash screens on a José Franco's article *[http://content.zdnet.com/2346-9595_22-61343-1.html Dinosaur Sightings: Windows splash screens from 1.01 to Vista] - A collection of Microsoft Windows splash screens since version 1.01 [[Category:Computer graphics]] [[de:Splash Screen]] [[fr:Splash screen]] [[it:Splash screen]] [[nl:Splash page]] [[pl:Splash screen]]