Demo (computer programming): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:00, 22 February 2006

Revision as of 15:08, 22 February 2006

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

A '''demo''' is a way for [[demogroup|demosceners]] to demonstrate their abilities in [[programming]] ("code"), [[music]] ("zik"), [[drawing]] ("gfx"), and/or [[3D modeling]]. It is a kind of non-interactive multimedia presentation, the difference with a classical animation being 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 effectcomputer graphics|2D]]s 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.

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Restrictions change from one [[compo|competition]] to another, depending on the machine on which the programs are run. The demos are now most commonly designed to run on [[Personal Computer|PC]], but not that long ago were mostly designed to run on [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Atari ST]] and [[Commodore Amiga]] [[home computer]]s. There are even demos running on such diverse platforms as [[Commodore VIC-20|VIC-20]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[TO7]], [[BeBox]], [[RiscPC|RISC PC]], [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]], [[Game Boy]], [[GP32]] and SONY [[PlayStation]].

Notable [[List of demoscene groups|demo groups]] in the past included the [[Future Crew]], [[Renaissance (demo groupdemogroup)|Renaissance]], the [[Silents]], [[Cascada (demo group)|Cascada]], [[Witan (demo group)|Witan]], [[Triton (demogroup)|Triton]], or in the present days, [[Farbrausch]], [[mfx]] or [[Kewlers]].

For a more self-explaining definition, see [http://www.pouet.net Pouet.net] for one of the most active [[Demoscene]] repositories.