Ask Leo! by Leo A. Notenboom

What's an "instance"?

Search First! Then browse: Categories | Full Archive | By Date | Newsletter

Home » General Computing

Summary: In casual computing the term instance frequently signifies one of multiple copies of the same running program.

What is meant by the term "instance?" I see it used quite a bit and am confused as to what exactly it is?

This is one of those geeky terms that's slowly wiggling its way into mainstream English.

Consider that in discussing the term "instance" I'll be able to talk about World of Warcraft as an example. Smile

An instance is one of something you might have more than one of.

For example, in Windows click on Start, Run, type in "notepad" and press "OK".

Now do it again.

You now have two instances or copies of Notepad running. Each is the same program, but each can be used completely independently to view or edit different files at the same time.

"An instance is one of something you might have more than one of."

Ultimately, that's all instance really means.

Some applications are what's called "single instance". That means that if you try to run more than one copy of the program, the second says "hey, there's an instance of me already running!", and brings that previous instance forward while closing the attempt at a second.

Now, about World of Warcraft (and possibly other multiplayer games) ...

WoW has what are called "instance dungeons". This means that when you or your group enter a dungeon you get a copy - an instance - of that dungeon all to yourselves. If another group enters the same dungeon, they get another, different copy, where only their players, and not yours, exist.

If that meaning is making it into mainstream gaming, I expect we'll be seeing it more frequently elsewhere as well.

Related:

Helpful? Get new articles weekly by email in my FREE newsletter!

Your Name:
Your Email:


Why Subscribe?

Article C3434 - July 3, 2008

Recent Comments
1 Comment

Hey Leo,

Nice article, as always.

You play WoW 'aye. How many level 70's you got? LOL.

Cheers!

Posted by: Dan Warrener at July 3, 2008 6:03 PM

Post a comment on "What's an "instance"?":






(Email Address will not be published.)

Remember Me?

By popular demand...
my tip jar
Cuppa Joe
Buy Leo a Latte!

(you may use HTML tags for style)

RSS feed Subscribe to the RSS Feed specifically for comments on this article.

Before commenting, please...

  • Read the article at the top of this page. If your comment shows you didn't, it'll be deleted and ignored.

  • Comment only on this article. Use the Google search box at the top of the page if you have a question about something else.

  • Don't include personal information in the comment. No email addresses. No phone numbers. No physical addresses.

  • Don't spam. Excessive links to unrelated sites within a comment or across multiple comments will cause all such comments to be removed.

  • Don't ask me to recover lost passwords or hacked accounts. I can't, and those comments will be deleted.

  • I can't respond to every comment. And I can't vouch for the accuracy of others who do.

Please wait. Your comment is being processed ...


Question? Ask Leo!