Splash screen
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Splash screen is a computer term for an image that appears while a program or operating system is loading. It is somewhat of 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 other applications that expect to be run full-screen, usually cover the entire screen.
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 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-page, and hence are often visually appealing, and may also have flashy animations, graphics and sound. However, since they may sometimes take a long time to load, they are not universally liked by users. They are especially inconvenient for users with slow internet connections as the pages take longer time to load. It is advisable that web designers use splash screens with caution.
Origin
Presumably by analogy with splash page.
External links
- Splash screens (http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/logo_spl.html) - Few list of splash screens and information on how to remove or add.
