Easter Eggs A Presentation by Ashleen Montgomery What

Easter Eggs A Presentation by: Ashleen Montgomery

What is an Easter Egg? A virtual Easter egg is a hidden message or feature l The name comes from the custom of finding hidden treats around Easter time l Easter Eggs can be found in many places: l l CDs l DVDs l Video games l Computer Programs

A True Easter Egg has the Following Characteristics: Must have been created on purpose l Hidden and Undocumented l Every user with the same product must be able to get the same results having followed instructions l Not malicious l Entertaining l

Computer Related Easter Eggs Usually an unusual change in program behaviour such as unexpected messages or graphics l Occurs in response to a stimulus such as an undocumented command l Most often found on software however some exist on hardware l

Some Popular Examples Palm Operating System has many hidden animations l 1997 version of Microsoft Word contained a pinball game l 1997 version of Microsoft Excel contained a flight simulator l 2000 version of Microsoft Excel contained an arcade game called Spy Hunter l

Unfortunately… Microsoft officially banned Easter Eggs from its software shortly after the release of Microsoft Excel containing Spy Hunter l It is now possible for people to get fired for creating Easter eggs due to complaints of Easter eggs being a waste of space/time etc. l

Easter Egg in Microsoft Word

Windows XP Easter Egg l l Open the game Solitaire Type the following: l l Alt Shift 2 You automatically win the game

Many, Many Easter Eggs If you are interested in finding other Easter eggs, including those found on DVDs there a few websites that have lists of how to find them l www. eeggs. com l www. eggheaven 2000. com l Or just use google to search l

Any Questions?

Bibliography Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2006. 11 May 2006 <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Easter_egg_( virtual)> l The Easter Egg Archive. 2006. 11 May 2006 <http: //www. eeggs. com/> l