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223:, which soon overtook Mosaic as the market-leading web browser, also featured a throbber. In version 1.0 of Netscape, this took the form of a big blue "N" (Netscape's logo at the time). The animation depicted the "N" expanding and contracting – hence the name "throbber". When Netscape unveiled its new logo (a different "N" on top of a hill), they held a competition to find an animation for it. The winning design (featuring the new-look "N" in a
375:" forms in order to create an animation effect. Unlike graphical activity indicators, the spinning bar is commonly combined with progress displays, since the lower resolution of character-based progress bars requires a separate indication of activity. Often, the spinning wheel is displayed at the position of the cursor, then also called "spinning cursor" or "rotating cursor". This use dates from early versions of the
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It is normally possible for the user to continue interacting with the program while the throbber animated; one such possibility may be to press a "stop" button to cancel the action. Clicking the throbber itself might perform another action, such as opening the program's
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introduced a different pointer to indicate "working in background", and they are no longer included in all web browsers. Furthermore, even web browsers that do use them depict images less elaborate than their predecessors. Many browsers – like
348:) where an application within the web browser would wait for some operation to complete. Most of these throbbers were known as a "spinning wheel", which typically consist of 8, 10, or 12 part-radial lines or discs arranged in a circle, as if on a
171:
of the program. Throbbers are typically a still image (known as its resting frame), unless the program is performing an action, during which time the throbber is animated in a loop to convey to the user that the program is busy (and has not
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remained normal (and not a busy symbol, such as an hourglass); therefore, the throbber provided a visual indication that the program was performing an action. Clicking on the throbber would stop the page loading; later
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is performing an action in the background (such as downloading content, conducting intensive calculations or communicating with an external device). In contrast to a
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code. The use of web frames, a feature introduced later, leads WebExplorer to confusion on modern pages due to the way this feature was implemented.
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Initially, throbbers tended to be quite large, but they reduced in size along with the size of toolbar buttons as
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The animation book: a complete guide to animated filmmaking--from flip-books to sound cartoons to 3-D animation
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235:'s blue "e" enjoyed similar status, though it only functioned as a throbber in early versions of the browser.
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logo that animated while Mosaic downloaded a web page. As the user could still interact with the program, the
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agreements, had a custom throbber. For example, the version of
Internet Explorer included with
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the opportunity to change the look and the animation of the throbber by using proprietary
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176:). Once the action is complete, the throbber returns to its resting frame.
352:, highlighted in turn as if a wave is moving clockwise around the circle.
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One of the early (if not the earliest) uses of a throbber occurred in the
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227:) became very well known and almost became an unofficial symbol of the
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167:. Throbbers take various forms, but are commonly incorporated into the
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throbber in the tab while a page is loading and replace it with the
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A typical throbber animation like that seen on many websites when a
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The
Netscape logo, as seen in the top right of the browser window
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Animated graphic to indicate background action is being performed
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Usually the throbber is found at the side of a program's
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developed. Their usefulness declined somewhat as most
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Jargon Watch: A Pocket
Dictionary for the Jitterati
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
196:web browser of the early 1990s, which featured an
311:had an AOL throbber instead of the standard "e".
184:, or pausing or canceling the background action.
209:added a separate Stop button for this purpose.
473:(New Digital ed.), Three Rivers, p.
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8:
499:"OS/2 Web Explorer's proprietary html tags"
129:action is being performed in the background
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261:to change the throbber with a local file.
982:List of graphical user interface elements
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
293:of the page when loading has completed.
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300:CDs, or those customized according to
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
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285: – place a small
524:Håkon Wium Lie (13 March 1995).
467:Laybourne, Kit (December 1998),
337:Throbbers saw a resurgence with
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34:needs additional citations for
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526:"Arena: Command Line Options"
443:Cradler, Dan (October 1997),
729:Head-up display in computing
417:Branwyn, Gareth (May 1997),
296:Often browsers shipped with
445:Hacker's Guide to Navigator
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1038:Graphical control elements
578:Graphical control elements
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530:World Wide Web Consortium
266:graphical user interfaces
146:graphical control element
383:utilities in the 1980s.
339:client side applications
1017:Zoomable user interface
822:Client-side decoration
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329:Loading screen in the
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1043:Technology neologisms
900:Breadcrumb navigation
377:UNIX operating system
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215:
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357:text user interfaces
148:used to show that a
43:improve this article
505:on 21 December 1996
497:Frommert, Hartmut.
398:Windows wait cursor
259:command-line option
759:Progress indicator
734:HUD in video games
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321:Progress indicator
257:web browser has a
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137:, also known as a
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872:Window decoration
827:Disclosure widget
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592:Adjustment handle
393:Spinning pinwheel
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233:Internet Explorer
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60: –
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54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
956:Modal window
888:Navigational
773:
764:Progress bar
724:Balloon help
683:Radio button
678:List builder
653:Cycle button
643:Color picker
602:Context menu
533:. Retrieved
519:
507:. Retrieved
503:the original
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444:
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154:progress bar
139:loading icon
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
977:File viewer
946:File dialog
895:Address bar
658:Date picker
302:co-branding
194:NCSA Mosaic
1032:Categories
941:Dialog box
805:Containers
786:Status bar
693:Search box
484:0517886022
454:1571690948
430:1888869062
404:References
350:clock face
319:See also:
242:offered a
69:newspapers
58:"Throbber"
1002:Scrolling
997:Mouseover
905:Hyperlink
879:Workspace
817:Tree view
812:Accordion
688:Scrollbar
663:Grid view
648:Combo box
341:(such as
231:. Later,
99:June 2010
925:Special
837:Menu bar
774:Throbber
708:Text box
673:List box
638:Checkbox
622:Pie menu
387:See also
346:web apps
331:Telegram
221:Netscape
165:menu bar
143:animated
141:, is an
135:throbber
127:blocking
927:windows
862:Toolbar
847:Popover
796:Tooltip
781:Sidebar
744:Infobar
703:Spinner
371:" and "
291:favicon
287:annular
244:webpage
202:pointer
188:History
182:website
161:toolbar
83:scholar
867:Window
852:Ribbon
698:Slider
597:Button
535:6 June
509:18 May
481:
451:
427:
381:DR-DOS
174:frozen
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
842:Panel
791:Toast
749:Label
309:disks
279:Opera
255:Arena
90:JSTOR
76:books
1012:WIMP
739:Icon
617:Menu
537:2010
511:2018
479:ISBN
449:ISBN
425:ISBN
379:and
367:", "
363:", "
343:Ajax
281:and
253:The
248:HTML
238:The
198:NCSA
169:logo
62:news
857:Tab
475:267
355:In
333:app
306:AOL
298:ISP
163:or
45:by
1034::
528:.
477:,
277:,
133:A
570:e
563:t
556:v
539:.
513:.
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369:-
365:/
361:|
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
