winslett@widor.cs.unc.edu (Michael Winslett) (03/10/91)
Has anyone tried After Dark for Windows from Berkeley Systems? I have been using Screenpeace, and although it works pretty well, it doesn't blank the screen when a DOS process is running full-screen, and it doesn't properly detect activity when a DOS window is active, causing it to blank the screen when it shouldn't. After Dark looks nice on a Mac. Does it properly handle blanking DOS processes under Windows, both in a window and full-screen? - Michael
bgeer@javelin.es.com (Bob Geer) (03/11/91)
winslett@widor.cs.unc.edu (Michael Winslett) writes: >Has anyone tried After Dark for Windows from Berkeley Systems? I have been >using Screenpeace, and although it works pretty well, it doesn't blank the >screen when a DOS process is running full-screen, and it doesn't >properly detect activity when a DOS window is active, causing it to blank the >screen when it shouldn't. FYI: I'm currently using IdleWild from MS's entertainment pack. It doesn't blank the screen when my window'd Kermit 3.01's downloading & writing progress stats to screen as the foreground window, but does blank when I background it (stats updates continue in background). -- <> Bob `Bear' Geer <> bgeer@javelin.sim.es.com <> <> Alta-holic <> speaking only for myself, one of my many tricks <> <> Salt Lake City, <> "We must strive to be more than we are, Lal." <> <> Ootah <> -- Cmdr. Data, learning schmaltz <>
yenl@ics.uci.edu (Yen Te Robert Lee) (03/13/91)
In <2194@borg.cs.unc.edu> winslett@widor.cs.unc.edu (Michael Winslett) writes: >Has anyone tried After Dark for Windows from Berkeley Systems? I have been >using Screenpeace, and although it works pretty well, it doesn't blank the >screen when a DOS process is running full-screen, and it doesn't >properly detect activity when a DOS window is active, causing it to blank the >screen when it shouldn't. I am sorry I don't know anything about AfterDark for Windows. But I use something called Intermission (which was, by the way, sent to me free because I registered my copy of ScreenPeace... what a cool deal!!!). It has the option to blank the screen when you are running DOS (either full-screen or DOS window). It also has numerous options for "waking" up your screen, including mouse movement, mouse button, keyboard key pressed, and dialog alert. There is also an option to use a password, so only with the proper password will the screen "wake up". However, I haven't seen it in stores, though I am sure it must exist somewhere. Check it out, it is a good program. D D D somewhere... Check it out, it is a god program -- Robert Lee, Class of 1991 | University of California, Irvine |
swh@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com (Steve Harrold) (03/15/91)
AfterDark for Windows
I've been using it for about a week or so, and can report that it is quite
a pleasant blanker. It provides about 35 different animated displays that
can be selected when "blanking" the screen. An interesting feature is
that most of the animation displays can be further customized by you to
control e.g. how fast the flying toasters move or what text appears in a
floating message (so that people visiting your unattended machine can know
where you are).
The package also provides a developer's kit (requires the SDK) to let you
design additional annimations and to allow programmatic access to the blanker
from an application. Furthermore, some .BMP files are supplied.
Blanking is triggered by "hot corners" (placing the mouse pointer into such
a location immediately blanks the screen), by a timeout period, or by a
hot key combo. Unblanking is caused by a mouse action, a keyboard press
or both (the default). A password facility is provided. If a DOS
application is up in a window, you have the option of never blanking while
it is the active window, or blanking under the usual conditions.
In order to get these displays, there is a disk cost to store them all.
If you install all 35 animations and kits you're looking at 930KB of disk
space. By comparison, ScreenPeace 1.2 supplies 6 animations for a total disk
cost of 65KB. SP animations run about 3-5KB each, versus AD's 6-100KB each.
Neither product requires you to load any animations (you get a black screen
in this case) in which case the disk costs are 150KB vs 48KB. I don't have
access to Intermission (the SP follow-on), so I cannot provide its statistics.
Two problems I've detected with AfterDark:
1) When blanking a full-screen DOS application, it does not always
restore the proper colors when it stops blanking. I've not been
bothered by that as I can run a simple utility to reset the palette.
2) Whenever the application Reflection for Windows (it provides an HP
terminal emulation facility) is active in a window or as an icon,
AfterDark refuses to kick in. Normally, the AfterDark icon blinks
when it detects that it's time to blank, but in this situation, it
does nothiong further. ScreenPeace handles the case just fine.
Neither product kicks in when the Word for Windows tutorial is
active in a window.
Overall, I'm quite happy with it, and will continue to use it. I'm presently
writing to the AfterDark people about my problems and am hopeful of a
remedy.
--
---------------------
Steve Harrold swh@hpda.hp.com
...hplabs!hpda!swh
HPG200/11
(408) 447-5580
---------------------neil@ms.uky.edu (Neil Greene) (03/16/91)
Could someone post info on obtaining After Dark for windows? -- Neil Greene --- University of Kentucky Mathmatics and Sciences University of Kentucky Computing Center neil@s.ms.uky.edu & neil@graphlab.cc.uky.edu (NeXT Attachments)
akm@cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) (03/16/91)
In article <neil.669084487@s.ms.uky.edu> neil@ms.uky.edu (Neil Greene) writes: >Could someone post info on obtaining After Dark for windows? Berkeley Systems Inc. 1700 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709 (415) 540-5535 -- Anant Kartik Mithal akm@cs.uoregon.edu Research Assistant, (503)346-4408 (msgs) Department of Computer Science, (503)346-3989 (direct) University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1202
swh@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com (Steve Harrold) (03/19/91)
The publishers of AfterDark are: Berkeley Systems Inc., 1700 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709 tel. 415/540-5535 Lists at $49, got mine for $29