Neko (computer program)

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Neko falling asleep and waking up again.

Neko is a cross-platform open-source animated cursor-chasing cat screenmate application.

Neko (wiktionary:猫, ねこ) is the Japanese word for cat.

1 About Neko
2 Other Appearances
3 References
4 External links

[edit] About Neko

Neko was originally written for the NEC PC-9801. It was later ported as a desk accessory to the Macintosh in 1989 by Kenji Gotoh, followed by an X version by Masayuki Koba. The program has no real purpose except entertainment.

In the game, a sprite would follow the mouse cursor around. In the System 7 version, the cursor could be modified to various cat toys such as a mouse, fish, or bird. When Neko caught up with the cursor, it would stare at the screen for a few seconds, scratch an itch on its body, yawn, and fall asleep until the cursor was disturbed. In windowed mode, Neko would stop at window boundaries and scratch at the edge of the window.

[edit] Other Appearances

The Neko Cat has been used as sprite a in many other programs.

In 1995, a shareware game for the Macintosh called Kitten Shaver had used sprites that looked similar to Neko. The object of the game was cruel but humorous as the player would have to shave the cats, with various layers of fur, as they ran across the screen within a limited time. The game was a parody of a game called Bunny Killer. Kitten Shaver was such a success, that a sequel called Kitten Shaver 2: Kitty's Revenge was released in 1997.
Neko has been ported to many other systems.
- There is also a Neko screensaver for NEXTSTEP.
- It has been ported to Mac OS X. The screensaver Neko.saver waited 5 years to move from version .91a to version .92, a universal binary.
- A port was made for Microsoft Windows 3.1.
- A port was made for Windows 95, ported by David Harvey from the X source.
- IBM OS/2 version 2.0 shipped with Neko as an entertainment program.
- A port of Neko is used as a demo program for the XCB library.
- Oneko, a port based on xneko, for linux and bsd systems.
- A port, named NekoCat, was made by Laurent Duveau for Palm OS.
- A Neko character is available for the linux toy AMOR (Amusing Misuse Of Resources).
Todd Goldman copied the character design of Neko and called it Goodbye Kitty, which he uses to sell merchandise such as t-shirts and handbags.^[1]