h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice article, but the use of screen savers to prevent burn-in is hardly necessary these days. Modern monitors are much less subject to that problem than the old CGA or MDA atrocities.

Perhaps the best use for a screen saver now is for security when you're away from the machine.

There's no point setting the password cause it just gets annoying when you're reading something, the screensaver activates and you have to type the password in again!!!!

If we're squeaking technically here, I must put in a point about the 'funky' Microsoft OpenGL screen-savers. The huge wobbly letters, the waving flag with a pic of your cat on, the exploding flower/star thing, you probably know the ones I mean.

Don't use them on any computer that has something better to do! They use up 100% of available CPU processor time, and can interfere with other jobs the 'puter is supposed to be doing. File serving, or calculating enormouse Excel spreadsheets. They are not supposed to interfere, but they actually do & I have seen them bring Windows NT servers to a crawl.

Another point is that running your CPU at 100% will of course make it run very hot, which they don't like.

H&K
Z