[comp.sys.mac.apps] Want -> REAL <- Screen Saver

lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) (04/25/91)

It this too much to ask for?  I would like a screen saver that makes the screen
black.  Not black with lines.  Not black with stars.  Not black with a face
bouncing around.  The list is endless, but so are the choices of what I can
have on my screen.

All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
out the screen.

Oh, I tried darkness which is PD or Shareware, and it didn't work some of the
time.

Can anyone make a suggestion?

Ken Linger
lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu

dawg6844@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Dan Walkowski) (04/26/91)

lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) writes:

>It this too much to ask for?  I would like a screen saver that makes the screen
>black.  Not black with lines.  Not black with stars.  Not black with a face
>bouncing around.  The list is endless, but so are the choices of what I can
>have on my screen.

>All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
>out the screen.

>Oh, I tried darkness which is PD or Shareware, and it didn't work some of the
>time.

>Can anyone make a suggestion?


If you like, I can write an AfterDark module that does just that.
Just Blacks the screen.  It'll take about 10 minutes, since they give you
the code to do that.  I just have to compile it.

dan


--
_______________________________________________________________________________
Dan Walkowski                          | To understand recursion, 
Univ. of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci. |   you must first understand recursion.
walkowsk@cs.uiuc.edu                   |

john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) (04/26/91)

In article <11248@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) writes:
> All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
> out the screen.

I use After Dark.  It has a module where you can display a pict file.  All
one would have to do is create a totally black drawing.  Pyro should be
able to do something like this.

-john-

-- 
=============================================================================
John A. Weeks III               (612) 942-6969             john@newave.mn.org
NeWave Communications                       ...uunet!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john

folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta) (04/26/91)

You don't have to write an AD module. Simply use "Fade Away", which fades
to whatever fraction of brightness you want (0 is black). You can also
set how long it takes to fade, to avoid startling yourself and to avoid that
crackle sound you get when the screen goes immediately black.

(A near-black effect can be had by using "Spotlight" with 0 brightness and
one small spotlight. It reminds you that there really is something on the
screen.)

But why not just go with "Flying Toasters" flying across your screen, complete
with sounds? :-) Actually, I asked the AD people to add the possibility that
when you move the mouse, the state of the screen is saved as the desktop
picture (ala DeskPict). This would be a really nifty effect. Also, when we
all have Mac Towers, the chosen screensaver should run on the desktop when we
are working!

Wayne
--


Wayne Folta          (folta@cs.umd.edu  128.8.128.8)

m_herodotus@csc32.enet.dec.com (Mario Herodotus) (04/26/91)

--
In article <11248@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) writes:
>All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
>out the screen.

>Ken Linger
>lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
>

 There is a Pyro! module to do this, its called Dimmer or something like that.
It fades the screen out, you specify how fast to fade and how dark to fade.
It works on my greyscale screen, I don't know if it works on B/W screens though.

Mario

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tel@adimail.UUCP (Terry Monks) (04/26/91)

> In article <11248@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) writes:
> >All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
> >out the screen.
> 

Isn't this dangerous? We use screen savers so that we save the screen from being
burnt out when a image is displayed in the same position for a long time. But
if you make the screen black, all those electrons are back there at the gun,
just yearning to be free, and probably burning out the X or Y deflection
amplifiers. Yowch. On the same subject, why doesn't Apple just burn out the
top of the screen when they ship. That way they wouldn't have to black out the
menu bar in InitMenus.
 
I have all sorts of good ideas like this. 





-- 
Terry Monks        Automata Design Inc    (703) 472-9400

hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (D. Hollinsworth) (04/27/91)

In article <875@adimail.UUCP> tel@adimail.UUCP (Terry Monks) writes:
>Isn't this dangerous?We use screen savers so that we save the screen from being
>burnt out when a image is displayed in the same position for a long time. But
>if you make the screen black, all those electrons are back there at the gun,
>just yearning to be free, and probably burning out the X or Y deflection
>amplifiers. Yowch. On the same subject, why doesn't Apple just burn out the
>top of the screen when they ship. That way they wouldn't have to black out the
>menu bar in InitMenus.

So would it be preferable to have a completely WHITE screen instead of a
completely black one?  How 'bout a module for that one?


-- 
*******************************************************************************
*Dave Hollinsworth               *    "Always be excellent, never be rude,    *
*hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu *  with the GIFT OF GAB from DR. DUDE!!!!!   *
***********   DISCLAIMER:  They're my opinions.  Are they yours?   ************

tneu1@isuvax.iastate.edu (Steve Linnerooth) (04/27/91)

In article <11248@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> lingerke@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ken Linger) writes:
> All I am looking for is a screen saver (or a Pyro module) that TOTALLY blacks
> out the screen.

   About 1 year ago (?) I found the BEST screen saver I've seen in my life. 
It's called Dimmer, and I found it on Sumex at the time.  It's about 30K, and
all it does is dims the screen to the set level.  If you want it black, then
set it to black.  It's a no-frills program, but it's NEVER stalled or crashed
on me, and it takes very little memory.  What more could one ask!!??

                                           
                                              - Steve Linnerooth
Remember:  Nothing can be made foolproof        tneu1@ccvax.iastate.edu
           because fools are so ingenious!     """"""""""""""""""""""""

tneu1@isuvax.iastate.edu (Steve Linnerooth) (04/27/91)

hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (D. Hollinsworth) writes:

>Isn't this dangerous?We use screen savers so that we save the screen from being
>burnt out when a image is displayed in the same position for a long time. But
>if you make the screen black, all those electrons are back there at the gun,
>just yearning to be free, and probably burning out the X or Y deflection
>amplifiers. Yowch. ...

Then, tel@adimail.UUCP (Terry Monks) replies:
>So would it be preferable to have a completely WHITE screen instead of a
>completely black one?  How 'bout a module for that one?          

Now I say:
   I can't believe this.  Am I to understand that it's better for the monitor
to always be white than black?  I've seen our Mac in the Mac lab at ISU, and
it sure looks like the "burned" spots are in the menu bar where the white is.
  Maybe for the monitor as a whole, it's better to have it white, I wouldn't
know, but I think for the SCREEN, it's better to be black, because if you keep
it all white, the contrast lessens, and the images become "fuzzy".

                                           
                                              - Steve Linnerooth
Remember:  Nothing can be made foolproof        tneu1@ccvax.iastate.edu
           because fools are so ingenious!     """"""""""""""""""""""""

rgonzal@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Saul) (04/29/91)

One of the followups mentioned wanting a screen saver which runs on
the desktop while you're using the Mac.  Fish! (NOT the AD module)
does just that, "swimming" the fish around behind your windows.  You
can make your own fish using the (color) editor as well (I made a
couple of human shark victims who "sink" to the bottom of the screen.)

Assuming their address hasn't changed, it's:  

Tom & Ed's Bogus Software!
15600 NE 8th St. Suite A3334
Bellevue, WA 98008

baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten) (04/30/91)

In article <780@newave.UUCP> john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) writes:

   I use After Dark.  It has a module where you can display a pict file.  All
   one would have to do is create a totally black drawing.  Pyro should be
   able to do something like this.

No need -- After Dark's "Dimmer" module can be set to dim the screen
to completely black.

--
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   baumgart@esquire.dpw.com     | 
   cmcl2!esquire!baumgart       |                           - David Letterman