Their usefulness declined somewhat as most operating systems introduced a different pointer to indicate 'working in background', and they are no longer included in all web browsers. Initially, throbbers tended to be quite large, but they reduced in size along with the size of toolbar buttons as graphical user interfaces developed.

The Arena web browser has a command-line option to change the throbber with a local file. The use of web frames, a feature introduced later, leads WebExplorer to confusion on modern pages due to the way this feature was implemented. The IBM WebExplorer offered a webpage the opportunity to change the look and the animation of the throbber by using proprietary HTML code.

Later, Internet Explorer's blue 'e' enjoyed similar status, though it only functioned as a throbber in early versions of the browser. The winning design (featuring the new-look 'N' in a meteor shower) became very well known and almost became an unofficial symbol of the World Wide Web. 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 animation depicted the 'N' expanding and contracting - hence the name 'throbber'. In version 1.0 of Netscape, this took the form of a big blue 'N' (Netscape's logo at the time). Netscape, which soon overtook Mosaic as the market-leading web browser, also featured a throbber. The Netscape logo, as seen in the top right of the browser window Clicking the throbber itself might perform another action, such as opening the program's website, or pausing or canceling the background action. 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. Once the action is complete, the throbber returns to its resting frame. 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 frozen). Throbbers take various forms, but are commonly incorporated into the logo of the program. Usually the throbber is found at the side of a program's toolbar or menu bar. In contrast to a progress bar, a throbber does not indicate how much of the action has been completed. A typical throbber animation like that seen on many websites when a blocking action is being performed in the background.Ī throbber, also known as a loading icon, is an animated graphical control element used to show that a computer program is performing an action in the background (such as downloading content, conducting intensive calculations or communicating with an external device).

Google chrome logo animation