xscreensaver under Wayland

evening_hunger said:
My attitude is perfectly correct. If you feel offended (by being called "mate"), I wholeheartedly apologize.
Now, with that out of the way - I have observed, at an unsettling rate, that often in forums when asking a "stupid question" ppl are persuaded out of getting an answer. However, being an university teacher, I trust there are no stupid questions. And in a technical context (such as a Linux forum), for me, a "silly question" is just a challenge. So this is how I see this - as a challenge.

Wayland is less than X11 was, it's just a protocol aiming to replace it with myriads of software packages. But due to software atomization and lack of documentation, people are lost, I know I was. So if I can explain to one person that Wayland won't measure their idle time without extra software, that's a win.

I somehow don't feel really compelled to be going out of my way and explaining just why people still need screensavers. I'm not them, I didn't ask the question. But I can try: Because they're fun? Interesting? Cool? In case of Xscreensaver, they're in most cases thought-provoking, inspiring and mysterious. At least, that's why I use them.

And, let's be real, CRT burnout hasn't been an issue for 25y or so. There's long been different reasons for screensavers. Usually, locking the screen plus a 'visual representation of idle-ness'. But nowadays in Wayland, if you don't use Gnome, you can't just leave the laptop and expect it'll blank the screen and lock it. Just not happening.

As a closing argument don't mention Windows to me, I haven't used it in decades. I'm much more into HURD than Windows...
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maybe a cultural difference but the term "Look Mate" tends to be something not taken or read well as it denotes an adversarial approach similar to "Hey stupid pay attention".
I have also noted the issue of people asking why why why rather than answering a question. I hate that also. Although I do not believe that was the case. I stated the use for screen savers, then explained why they are no longer necessary. Do not think I said anything about stupid question. Which trust me there are many of them in life. I never persuade a person to not get an answer, but maybe consider something else that they may not have. Depends on the reasons they want something. An example would be a person complaining they need help getting wine to work, if you dig deeper it is because they want to install MS Office, so then the best thing for them is to explain they do not need wine or office. libre or open office will do a much better and reliable job. So sometimes that digging deeper is important. As an educator you should know this.
 


puts on mod hat

Let's remember that the forum's rules can be distilled to civility.

Thanks!

Also, we have burn-in again. One of the newer monitors, OLED maybe, has potential problems. I'm not sure if it's technically the same, in fact it surely isn't given the tech is wildly different than a CRT.

Also, I'd argue that there are stupid questions. Here's an example:

"Are you sleeping?"

That can only be answered with a single factor. So, it's not really a good question.

Then, there's asking a question that has already been answered and they'd know the answer if they';d followed directions.


Edited: I completely missed a word.
 
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KGIII said:
puts on mod hat

Let's remember that the forum's rules can be distilled to

Thanks!

Also, we have burn-in again. One of the newer monitors, OLED maybe, has potential problems. I'm not sure if it's technically the same, in fact it surely isn't given the tech is wildly different than a CRT.

Also, I'd argue that there are stupid questions. Here's an example:

"Are you sleeping?"

That can only be answered with a single factor. So, it's not really a good question.

Then, there's asking a question that has already been answered and they'd know the answer if they';d followed directions.
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how do you always make me laugh. I love the analogies. I think we have it settled tho.
 
wow, nothing like going backwards in things. We fix the problem of burn in, then reintroduce it because we don't want anything to go extinct.
 
APTI said:
wow, nothing like going backwards in things. We fix the problem of burn in, then reintroduce it because we don't want anything to go extinct.
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Yup. There are some things you can do to lessen the burn-in and to prolong the life of your screen. TVs and monitors are sometimes smart and will do this for you automatically, though there's still a place for the venerable screensaver in modernity.

It was described in layman's terms with the TV in the media room. I picked up a giant 4k OLED and upgraded everything to support Atmos. (It's awesome, especially if you're a geek.)

Amusingly, there are probably a couple dozen hours on the whole thing since the refresh. I don't actually watch much video content outside of what I stream from YouTube on my computer. It's a very nice system and I like that for when I do want to watch something and pay attention to it. The missus consumes video content on a tablet, if not her laptop.

But, yeah... Screensavers are back in vogue, I suppose.
 
KGIII said:
Yup. There are some things you can do to lessen the burn-in and to prolong the life of your screen. TVs and monitors are sometimes smart and will do this for you automatically, though there's still a place for the venerable screensaver in modernity.

It was described in layman's terms with the TV in the media room. I picked up a giant 4k OLED and upgraded everything to support Atmos. (It's awesome, especially if you're a geek.)

Amusingly, there are probably a couple dozen hours on the whole thing since the refresh. I don't actually watch much video content outside of what I stream from YouTube on my computer. It's a very nice system and I like that for when I do want to watch something and pay attention to it. The missus consumes video content on a tablet, if not her laptop.

But, yeah... Screensavers are back in vogue, I suppose.
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girlfriend has a TV like that, but I noticed it has a built in screen saver. never paid it much attention though.
 
I actually wish I already had any OLED. Don't like TVs, being a Thinkpad guy I see some OLED-equipped models but then I prefer AMD and that combination doesn't exist (OLEDs are intel-exclusive, guess there's some money there...). So while there's plenty of that organic technology in the TV dept, in the laptop world it remains luxurious... but one day...

By the way, since all modern TVs (and smartphones, watches, the fridge and heck knows what else) are actually embedded custom computers, I wonder if I could run the Xscreensaver on a TV. Maybe I'll buy one
 
evening_hunger said:
Thanks. Nice!
Now, turns out I was wrong even concerning Thinkpads, there do indeed exist some AMD models with OLED, such as this P16s. Not a cheap one, but it could definitely use a screensaver under Wayland :)
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Intel seems to have a lock on laptops. So, I wasn't too sure. That's why I went to NewEgg to see if they were an option. There are quite a few options available but far fewer options than you'd have with Intel as your CPU choice. Finding those with OLED was just a search modifier along the way. It turns out that there are some.

So, if you want to remain in the AMD camp, and you want OLED, then you have options.

If you also have an avenue for Dolby Atmos - it will blow your mind. I have the gear (which includes microphones at adhere to a standard) to properly set it up. You'll hear some sounds as though they're from inside your skull and various other noises from all around you. It's mind-blowing. You really need some good microphones (or to pay the sales staff the extra money) to set it up properly.

Yes, you use your microphones to properly adjust Dolby Atmos. It's a 45 minute process - but I could probably do it faster now that I've gone through it before.

And, yes, your OLED TV is probably going to come with software that helps eliminate burn-in and may include a screensaver. The mechanism for OLED burn-in is different than a CRT, and has something to do with brightness. I can't recall exactly, but I think my TV is 800 nits. If operated at max brightness, it would not last long.

(I think....)
 
APTI said:
Not even sure (other than for something pretty to see) why you need a screensaver. We no longer use CRT screens that can burn the image on the display. lcd, led and all current technology do not burn images on screens so screensavers are no longer necessary. If you don't want people looking while you are away you can lock the screen and it is blank. In fact that uses less power because the screen can sleep. screensavers use resources and power that do not need to be used. So unless you just like staring at pretty things, there is no reason for a screen saver. Therefore I would say screen savers are obsolete and irrelevant. A pointless throw back to early times.
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Why is there always that one person?

I found this thread by searching for the very thing that is posted here because I want a screensaver on my HTPC, and I'm glad to have found this solution.
FWIW, I actually do also have "need" for screensaver because my laptop (diff computer than HTPC) is dying, six months out of warranty, and I can't afford to replace it yet. When the screen is off, with or without the computer being asleep, it hw resets when the screen comes back on. I believe it's a known issue with this model; the power regulator (or whatever you call the chip that is on the internal side of the charging port) is faulty and the surge from the screen coming on triggers system reset and causes charger to not be detected until hard power off, unplug, power on, and then replug. Having a screensaver is better than leaving screen on with just whatever I have open. The screensaver doesn't use the entire screen 100% of the time like just leaving it on to even just the wallpaper would. Screensaver should help me get the last few miles of life out of this laptop until I can afford to replace it. (replacement mobo isn't worth the cost as it's >50% price of a comparable replacement laptop and a replacement mobo would likely have the same problem in the future anyway.)

Also, I do like staring at pretty things.
 
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