Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!intercon!amanda@intercon.com From: amanda@intercon.com (Amanda Walker) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Do screen-savers do anything useful? Message-ID: <1485@intercon.com> Date: 12 Oct 89 20:10:37 GMT References: <25674.25331193@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG> <12392@polya.Stanford.EDU> Sender: news@intercon.com Reply-To: amanda@intercon.com (Amanda Walker) Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation Lines: 19 The biggest problem with most screen savers, as Marc mentioned, is that they tend to be "invasive". In the past n years (n > 4 :-)) I've only used two screensavers: "Autoblack" on a Mac Plus, and "Dimmer" on my Mac II. Both of these have the advantage that they don't interfere with whatever's running, including its screen display. Autoblack does this by reserving the alternate screen buffer at boot time and flipping to it to save the screen, and Dimmer works by manipulating the Mac II video card's color-correction (gamma) table to effectively turn down the brightness. It's very slick. I've never had *any* compatibility problems with either of these screensavers. They don't put up fancy string art patterns or fireworks--they do one thing well, and that is turning off (or down) your screen if you haven't done anything for while. That's all I want. -- Amanda Walker "Tobacco is the only drug in America that will kill you if it's taken as directed." --Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General