A cool Screen saver

[Cpilot]

I ran across this really cool screen saver written in ZGameEditor that really impressed me.
You can find it here.
http://www.emix8.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=680
The guy who wrote it really deserves some kudos, it's very impressive IMO.
I included a little screen shot but to see it in motion is pretty cool.

[40hz]

Very nicely done indeed!  The transitions between the objects are particularly interesting to watch.

Grab Version 2 however.

He parked his copyright slug on the lower left of the screen with version 2. The earlier one had it moving along with the animated image.

Watching RAD01©2010 rotating around the screen in sync with the pretty graphics took something away from it. Glad he thought so too!

[Deozaan]

I usually don't download screensavers, and just have mine set to blank most of the time. So it was with some hesitation that I downloaded this and looked at it. At first it was very dull and boring, and then as I watched the balls take on other patterns I became more and more intrigued.

Thanks for sharing this.

As for v2, I'd recommend against it. Having the copyright and the clock parked in the corner (the colons between the numbers) will cause screen burn-in. You never want a static image on a screen saver. That defeats the whole purpose of "saving" the screen.

[40hz]

@Deozaan-

1. You can turn the clock off in the CFG file. Instructions are included as a comment in the file.

2. And while screen burn in (or LCD "persistence") is still an occasional problem, under normal circumstances it shouldn't be an issue with something like this. You need to leave the monitor on for very extended periods of time with static screen elements in place for that to happen. I've only seen persistence occur (and that very rarely) on things like order entry kiosks, status boards, or other "ON-24/7" setups where the screen acts more as a control panel or entry keypad.

FWIW: I set my screensaver to come on in 15 minutes and my monitor to shut off after 30 in order avoid wasting electricity. So should most people. If you're getting screen burn from a screensaver on one of today's monitors, you're probably leaving it powered on way too long anyway. So save a few cents along with your monitor by taking advantage of available powersaver settings. It's good for your wallet - and good for our planet too!

[Deozaan]

2. And while screen burn in (or LCD "persistence") is still an occasional problem, under normal circumstances it shouldn't be an issue with something like this. You need to leave the monitor on for very extended periods of time with static screen elements in place for that to happen. I've only seen persistence occur (and that very rarely) on things like order entry kiosks, status boards, or other "ON-24/7" setups where the screen acts more as a control panel or entry keypad.

Yeah, I know modern screens shouldn't have much of a problem without them being on for a very long time (in the > 24 hour range, IIRC), but a screen saver's job is to save the screen, not rely on the user to set his monitor to shut off.

FWIW: I set my screensaver to come on in 15 minutes and my monitor to shut off after 30 in order avoid wasting electricity. So should most people. If you're getting screen burn from a screensaver on one of today's monitors, you're probably leaving it powered on way too long anyway. So save a few cents along with your monitor by taking advantage of available powersaver settings. It's good for your wallet - and good for our planet too!

FWIW: I think I have you beat. I've got the screensaver set to 10 minutes and to shut off the signal at 20 minutes. Though it doesn't actually cut power to the monitor. The LED still blinks as it waits for a signal to come through. And though I agree it's good advice to have settings similar to ours, I don't expect everybody to know it's possible, take the time, or even have the permissions (corporate PCs) to do it. Thus my insistence that screen savers do their job.

[40hz]

^Got me beat by 10 mins on powesaver for sure. But in my defense, my screen rarely sits idle when I'm in front of it. I'm either pounding away at the keys or I've put the whole system on standby if I'm not.  

Can't say I follow your logic on how using powersaver features mean a screensaver isn't doing it's job however. The screensaver's job is technically to prevent screen burn. (In reality it's more to provide entertainment - otherwise it would just bank it. ) Powesaver features are to there to reduce electrical consumption and possibly prevent screen burn as a side effect of shutting off the monitor.  

The two jobs are complementary, but they're not quite the same.      

[Deozaan]

I think you misunderstand me.

I'm saying that a screen saver has no way of knowing what the "power saving" settings are set to, and as such should always be designed as if the screen would be on indefinitely.

[Cpilot]

Whether you like screen savers or not I thought that the implementation was really nice. The movement is very smooth and the patterns IMO are clever.
Also I thought it would be a nice segue to provide a link to ZGameEditor for those who might be interested in something like this.

[40hz]

I think you misunderstand me.

I'm saying that a screen saver has no way of knowing what the "power saving" settings are set to, and as such should always be designed as if the screen would be on indefinitely.

OK. Now I get where you're coming from.

I also agree. 

[Deozaan]

I just got a message from Rado1 saying he updated his screensaver to incorporate my suggestions (to prevent burn-in) and added a new shape.

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http://www.emix8.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=680#3984

[joby_toss]

My favorite screensaver is the one from SE-soft . It is free and has also a portable version.
The nicest thing about it is the "dim" feature (don't know how else to call it) that allows you to see what's "under" the screen saver (don't know exactly what it saves while used this way but it is very cool).
So I have mine setup to show the clock and I can still see what apps are opened.

[sajman99]

I'm a long time fan of the Really Slick free screensavers.  http://www.reallyslick.com/

Very well done savers IMO. Euphoria is a personal fave.

[Curt]

To me, Endless Slideshow Screensaver Pro is the coolest screensaver. It doesn't show any fancy figures. In fact it doesn't show any figures at all. And that is the way I want it to be. It will merely show my collection of pictures. And that is why I have the pictures in the first place: to look at them.

http://www.exisoftware.com/slideshow-screensaver/upgrade.html

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