Who invented screensavers

If a virus is detected, the window turns red and the scan is stopped, and the alert is shown once you exit the screensaver or a distributed computing application such as the SETI home project. This allows applications to use resources only when the computer would be otherwise idle.

Monitors running screensavers consume the same amount of power as when running normally, which can be anywhere from a few watts for small LCD monitors to several hundred for large plasma displays. Most modern computers can be set to switch the monitor into a lower power mode, blanking the screen altogether.

A power-saving mode for monitors is usually part of the power management options supported in most modern operating systems , though it must also be supported by the computer hardware and monitor itself. Additionally, using a screensaver with a flat panel or LCD screen instead of powering down the screen can actually reduce the lifetime of the display, since the fluorescent backlight remains lit and ages faster than it would if the screen were turned off completely.

As fluorescent tubes age they grow progressively dimmer, and they can be expensive or difficult to replace. In most cases, the tube is an integral part of the LCD and the entire assembly needs to be replaced. Notice also that screensavers may utilize a significant amount of CPU time, increasing power consumption in the process. Perhaps in response to the workplace environment in which they are often viewed, many screensavers continue this legacy of whimsy by populating the idle monitor with animals or fish, games, and visual expressions of mathematics equations through the use of fractals as in the Electric Sheep screensaver.

The ability of screensavers to divert and entertain is used for promotion, especially to build buzz for "event-based" products such as feature films. The screensaver is also an outlet for the work of creative computer programmers. The Unix -based screensaver XScreenSaver collects the display effects of other Unix screensavers, which are termed "display hacks" in the jargon file tradition of US computer science academics.

It also collects forms of computer graphics effects called demo effects , originally included in demos created by the demo scene. Screensaver software can also be used as a rudimentary security measure. Many screensavers can be configured to ask users for a password before permitting the user to resume work. However, a user might be able to circumvent the password by restarting the computer if the computer's owner has set their account to automatically log in upon startup.

On older versions of Microsoft Windows the native screensaver format had the potential to install a virus when run as a screen saver was just an ordinary application with a different extension. When any file with the file suffix ". Modern versions of Windows can read tags left by applications such as Internet Explorer and verify the publisher of the file, presenting a confirmation to the user.

In addition, on August 5, , the BBC reported that "free screensavers" and "screensavers" respectively were the first and third most likely search terms to return links to malware, the second being Bearshare.

The first screensaver was allegedly written for the original IBM PC by John Socha , best known for creating the Norton Commander ; he also coined the term screen saver. The screensaver, named scrnsave , was published in December issue of the Softalk magazine. It simply blanked the screen after three minutes of inactivity an interval which could be changed only by recompiling the program. The first screensaver that allowed users to change the activating time was released on Apple 's Lisa , in The Atari and 's screens would also go through random screensaver-like color changes if they were left inactive for too long.

The user had no control over this. Today, of course, screen saver is a term for something entertaining to put on your computer screen while you are not doing anything with it. Want to Contribute an Item? It's easy: Get the name of the item, a quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add it here. Technovelgy that's tech-novel-gee! Science Fiction Timeline 's 's 's 's 's 's 's 's.

Poor Humans. Watching that macaroni dance across the screen to the tune of "Hey Macarena" can be a great diversion for a few minutes. Security - By setting up a screensaver with password protection, you can walk away from your computer and feel comfortable that nobody is going to be able to see any sensitive information.

Uniform look - Many companies require all employees to use a particular screensaver. This creates a uniform and perhaps aesthetic environment and ensures that no inappropriate screensavers are displayed. Advertisement - Companies, particularly retail businesses, that have computers in areas accessible to customers will often have a screensaver that promotes their business or product.

Information - A lot of screensavers provide either static or real-time information. A screensaver may cycle through a series of trivia questions. Another may pull stock information from a Web site and stream it across the screen. Distributed computing - Another form of screensaver takes advantage of your computer's inactivity to process data from another source. A good example of this type of screensaver is SETI Home , which is currently utilized by thousands of computer users.

This screensaver displays a graph of the radio spectrum and processes radio-signal information received from the SETI Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence servers.