Demo (computer programming): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:32, 24 February 2006

Revision as of 16:33, 24 February 2006

Line 1:

[[Image:DemoSample.jpg|thumb|A frame part of an animation displayed in real time.]]

A '''demo''' is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer [[subculture]] known as the [[demosceneDemoscene]]. Demos are the main way for demosceners to demonstrate their abilities in [[programming]] ("code"), [[music]] ("zik"), [[drawing]] ("gfx"), and/or [[3D modeling]]. The key technical difference between a classical animation and a demo is that the display of a demo is computed in real time (like people performing a play compared to showing a movie), making computing power considerations the biggest challenge. For now demos are mostly composed of [[3D animation]]s mixed with [[2D computer graphics|2D]] effects and [[full screen effect]]s.

The boot block demos of the 1980s, demos that were created to fit within the small (generally 1024 to 4096 bytes) first block of the [[floppy disk]] that was to be loaded into [[Random Access Memory|RAM]], were typically created so that [[software cracking|software crackers]] could boast of their accomplishment prior to the loading of the game. What began as a type of electronic [[graffiti]] on cracked software became, however, an art form unto itself, and demo makers continue to push themselves to the limits of their abilities by making these short demos to this day.