Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!uwvax!titanic.cs.wisc.edu!tonyrich
From: tonyrich@titanic.cs.wisc.edu (Anthony Rich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Need a screen saver
Summary: Let's do it in hardware!
Message-ID: <9561@spool.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 19 Jan 90 17:27:14 GMT
References: <7698@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Sender: news@spool.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 35

In article <7698@hubcap.clemson.edu> jcocon%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu writes:

>I need a screen saver that fills a few conditions:
>1)  Doesn't stop background processing or printing
>2)  Doesn't conflict with Macro Maker
>3)  Runs on an SE and Mac IIx
>
>Stars doesn't fulfill 1
>Dimmer doesn't fulfill 2, or possibly 3 (at least the posted version I have)
>MacsBug doesn't fulfill 1,2, or 3.

> Commercial products are fine - I won't mind paying a few bucks.

I sympathize.  I haven't found a screen saver that does it all, yet, either,
but I'm NOT willing to "pay a few bucks."  The purpose of a screen saver is
to protect the hardware; IMHO, hardware protection should be built into
the hardware.  It USED to be, back when we had plain old "intelligent
terminals!"  We seem to have done a technological backslide somewhere.

Any EE worth his or her soldering iron (or CAE package) should be capable
of grinding out a screen-saver circuit (even for the Mac) that doesn't
interfere with software operation.  All it needs to do is turn the screen
black.  If we still we want to keep the ability to run the fancy software
screen savers (they ARE kinda fun to watch, after all), maybe the hardware
could generate a "time to save the screen" event, allowing software to
notice and do something fancier.

Whaddaya say, Apple?  When your screens get burned, YOU get burned.

     Tony
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Email:       tonyrich@titanic.cs.wisc.edu  Phone:  608-271-8450
Disclaimer:  The opinions above are mine.  Others may agree or disagree.
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