What
Are Screensavers For?
Screensavers were originally designed
to protect computer monitors from phosphor burn-in. Early CRT monitors,
particularly monochrome ones, had problems with the same image being displayed
for a long time. The phosphors,
used to make the pixels in the display, would glow at a constant rate for such
a long period of time that they would
actually discolor the glass surface of the CRT. This discoloration would then
be visible as a faint image overlaying
whatever else was displayed on the monitor. Advances in display technology and
the advent of energy-saver monitors
have virtually eliminated the need for screensavers. But we still use them.
Here are the main reasons why:
Entertainment
The most common reason we use screensavers is for the fun of it. 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. It sends back results
based on the data processed. By using the
combined processing power of all of these computers, SETI is significantly reducing
the amount of time it takes to sift
through all the signals received from its radio telescopes.