Screensavers: A Technological Legacy

The world of screensavers. An expandable and never ending multiverse of flashy visuals, entertaining animations, and surprising outcomes. Screensavers are something I have been very passionate about because of their simplicity and creativity. Back then, screensavers were fun and exquisite animations that activated when your computer was inactive. You could watch them for days on end with so many tiny events occurring in the background! They were originally created to prevent something known as the dreaded CRT screen burn - in, which caused the screen to lose luminance if it was left on for too long.

Many of these nostalgic screensavers can range from just a simple ribbon of light moving around the screen to the iconic Windows 95 Maze, nostalgic screensavers are stunning and dazzling. This was one of the main reasons why screensavers ruled the world for such a long period of time back in the 90’s. But, they come from a long history involving many advancements and improvements, leading to their unfortunate downfall in the 2000’s due to much more modern and advanced technology taking over.

So, sit back, relax, maybe grab a drink, and get comfortable. Today I’ll take you on a journey to give a very detailed and brief overview of screensavers.

The Very Beginning

The beginning dates back all the way to 1983, which is the time period your parents probably refer to when they say ‘back in my days.’ Technology was all anyone could ever talk about from the recent release of the Apple computers. The current computer used by the public at the time came with an option that would dim the screen and make it fade to black if a few minutes of inactivity were detected. Although this screen dimming option affected battery drainage, it reduced it down by a large percentage. It was a small addition, but it was important.

Why, you may ask? Well, something known as the CRT screen burn - in existed before this screen dimming feature. Basically, if you left a CRT screen on for too long, over time it would lose its luminance and it would become visually impossible to see the screen. It was hated by countless people. So, you could obviously see how significant the screen dimming feature was.

Some time later that year, a person named John Socha would come along to create a program called SCRNSAVE. It was also the first time the term ‘screensaver’ was coined. The SCRNSAVE program basically did the same thing as the current computer at the time, and the history of screensavers could’ve ended just there and then. All you needed to do was just have the screen dimming option and it would solve all of your problems. Animated screensavers were pointless, so no one ever bothered to make something like that. But, that would all change sooner or later.

The Birth of a New Era

We skip ahead five years later, to the year of 1988, where one of the very first screensaver animations would be created. Two people named Bill Stewart and Ian Macdonald made something called the Magic Screensaver. It involved a series of lines rotating and twisting around a screen, bouncing off the edges and continuously moving.

Many people argued that this feature was pointless, but little did Bill and Ian know that this was the single spark it would take to inspire an era of creativity for years to come. One year later, a program called After Dark was released. It included a pack of fun little screensavers, this time with much more entertainment on them. One in particular was a screensaver titled Starry Night. It featured a bunch of tiny pixels gradually building up to form a beautiful night sky hanging over a sleepy and weary city. Not only that, stars were scattered throughout the black space overhead, and even shooting stars zipped by on some occasions. The public eventually caught attention of these newer screensavers, resulting in much praise for After Dark, as well as an explosion in fame. The sheer creativity from this singular program was enough to get people in a frenzy with screensavers.

The After Dark program continued to work, and they constructed more screensavers for Windows. Next year, After Dark 2.0 was released and it featured countless new screensavers for the naked eye of a human to gaze upon. There were also many settings that could be used to customize these screensavers, giving a little twist to decorate and accessorize the screensavers to something of your liking.

This is when the era of screensavers was truly born. Many of these screensavers were better than before, and most notably, one of the most significant of these screensavers was one that was unlike any other, one that truly stood out from the rest, the hero of this universe.

The all powerful and mystical flying toasters.

I know, it sounds awkward. I may be getting ahead of myself with these exaggerations, but this screensaver was just…so exquisite and unique at the time.

This simple screensaver is exactly what it sounds like. It involved some flying toasters passing by the screen as they flapped their feeble wings through the void of your screen, heading over to an unknown destination. This single screensaver became so popular it grew to be some sort of mascot for After Dark from that point, and it became After Dark’s icon. Screensavers became so popular to the point that in 1992, even Windows joined in on the fun. The new Windows 3.0 that was released that same year came with its own built in screensavers, featuring some more simple (but just as good) ones.

Obviously, due to the growing popularity, the public could not get enough of these screensavers. After Dark 3.0 was released a couple of years later and they featured…yup, you guessed it, more screensavers! The newer After Dark program even remade the Flying Toasters screensaver from the 2.0 program into Flying Toasters Pro. The Flying Toasters Pro screensaver had a bunch of new additions to it, including an entire anthem with full on lyrics. The song had two modes, Anthem and Wagner. It also featured a bunch of awesome animations, like toast popping out of the toasters, the toasters doing little spins mid - air (whatttt?), and two toasters merged together.

The Arrival of 3D Screensavers

Now, we arrive in the beautiful year of 1995. This is the year when an all out revelation would occur, where a wonderful delicacy would be put on the table for hungry screensaver fans. Windows 95 had just released, and they came along with a new twist with the screensavers.

This time, the screensavers were 3D animated. Some of the most classic and iconic screensavers would come along with Windows 95. Take the 3D Pipes screensaver as an example, featuring a bunch of little pipes intersecting and intertwining together as they stretched on for miles until the screensaver reset. Another one of these 3D screensavers was the memorable 3D Maze. In it, the computer finds its way to the exit with a smiley face at the very end. It has many cool details, like portraits, shapes that turn you upside down, and sometimes little rats that will scurry around.

The other 3D screensavers are more simple, such as the 3D Text screensaver. It comes with a text you can customize that bounces around the screen. Along with these cool screensavers, Windows 95 Plus was also released that same year, adding some additional screensavers.

Furthermore, in 1998, the very last package of After Dark would be released. After Dark 4.0 featured all of the After Dark programs and their screensavers from before, including some revamps of the classics. The all powerful Flying Toasters also made a return, with a lot of intricate and fun details. It came with an introduction and brand new lyrics. There were so many things to keep track of in the screensaver, and it’s bound to leave you in awe.

A Legend Bid Farewell

Fast forward three years later to 2001. Within those three years, Windows continued to release more screensavers. Sadly, in 2001, this would be the coming of the tragic demise of these iconic screensavers. Windows XP had been released, and it featured some fairly advanced 3D screensavers with much better graphics. But, all things must come to an end, and this was the end of screensavers. The new popularity of LCD screens that completely obliterate any screen burn in has recently increased, and the nostalgic screensavers that once ruled the world quickly went out of style and they became something of the past.

In 2007, Windows released Windows Vista. This was when every screensaver would be slaughtered without mercy. Windows Vista demolished every single screensaver made prior to its release. There was one sole survivor, the 3D Text screensaver, which Windows had spared from the bloodshed. This screensaver removal was very tragic, but Windows Vista made up for it by replacing the old screensavers with much more modern and futuristic screensavers, such as ones like Aurora, Mystify, and etcetera. Sure, these were great new screensavers, but it’s a sorrowful reminder that the old aesthetic of the original screensavers was diminished. So, from 2007 to 2021, six screensavers stood still in infinite stagnation as time passed on. (Two of these screensavers were actually removed as well, the Aurora screensaver and another one called Energy, bringing our screensaver count down to four.) A new aesthetic was also introduced within this time period, called Frutiger Aero, but that’s an entirely different story.

The Legacy Left Behind

Although it was heartbreaking to let go of the nostalgic screensavers, people try not to forget the impact and significance of these screensavers. Moreover, people have uploaded countless videos on the internet involving these screensavers playing on a loop. Within the time period from 2007 - 2021, Apple computers actually made some screensavers as well. The old screensavers were pointless, sure, but the reason why they received so much praise was because of the creativity and inspiration they had.

In conclusion, screensavers were made to prevent something known as a CRT screen burn - in. Eventually, people got creative and improved these screensavers to be more entertaining using animations, but they went out of style in the mid - late 2000’s. So, next time you happen to see one of the more modern screensavers wherever you are, don’t forget the unique history of them.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and have a nice day.