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From: clyde@ut-ngp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Why is the ScreenSaver braindamaged?
Message-ID: <4797@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Mar-87 15:58:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.4797
Posted: Mon Mar  2 15:58:22 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Mar-87 18:52:04 EST
Organization: Moose & Squirrel Software
Lines: 21
Keywords: X screen saver is useless

Could the X designers (or anybody else who feels up to it)
explain the seemingly useless behavior of the X 'screen saver' function.
If you run ANYTHING which updates the window (e.g. xclock, xload),
then the screen saver doesn't work.  This behavior I can understand -
it's just like the screen saver on a conventional terminal.

But for the screen saver to work, the server must be TOTALLY IDLE -
if there is any client which EVER talks to the server,
even if the screen is NOT changed, the screen saver is turned off.

What makes sense to me is that the screen saver should be triggered by USER
inaction, i.e. If I don't touch the keyboard or mouse for 10 minutes,
my screen should be blanked.  I know this is a bit more complicated to
do, but makes more sense to me.

Sigh.  I guess I have to do an X version of 'lockscreen'.
-- 
Shouter-To-Dead-Parrots @ Univ. of Texas Computation Center; Austin, Texas  
	clyde@ngp.cc.utexas.edu; ...!ut-sally!ut-ngp!clyde
"It's a sort of a threat, you see.  I've never been very good at them
myself, but I've told they can be very effective."