The wacky world of Web animation.

When it comes to animation, the World Wide Web is moving fast. It used to be that any time you wanted movement (or sound), you had to spend painfully long amounts of time downloading a file that would then run for just a few seconds. Now, things are much quicker, and some animations and sound effects run without any special software. It still takes some time to get the really good stuff, though -- just not as long as it used to.

For most animations to work on your computer, you will need special software. Fortunately, you can pull this right off the Net. If you are using Netscape Navigator or the Microsoft Network, you will be prompted to download this software when you click on a cartoon or video clip. The most common animation software programs you'll see are Quicktime, Real Video, and Shockwave. These and others either come free or with a free download sample.

Whatever browser you use, and whatever clip you want to see, keep in mind that speed is everything. For that reason, I definitely recommend a 28.8K modem or better, and even then you may want to keep a good book nearby. At about ten minutes or less, the animation software programs download quickly, but the clips are another story. Expect download times of ten to twenty-five minutes.

When most people talk about animation, they're talking about cartoons. When Internet surfers talk about animation, they mean anything that moves, including film and video. The Web contains files for all forms of movement, from Daffy Duck to animation studios that work for NASA creating space simulations. If you're interested in animation, here are a few sites worth visiting.