You can try out xscreensaver like so:
xscreensaver &
- xscreensaver-command -demo
-
-After a few seconds, the screen should go black, and a dialog box should
-appear in the upper right corner. This is "Demo Mode".
+ xscreensaver-demo
Note: unlike `xlock', xscreensaver has a client-server model: the
`xscreensaver' process is a daemon that runs in the background; it is
-controlled by the foreground `xscreensaver-command' program.
+controlled by the foreground `xscreensaver-demo' program.
xscreensaver has an extensive manual -- please read it!
============
+Changes since 3.28: * Better rendering of the new logo.
+ * New hack, `gltext'.
+ * Added `-planetary' option to `gears', to draw a
+ different kind of gear system.
+ * Made motion and rotation be smoother in `gears',
+ `glplanet', `moebius', `rubik', and `sierpinski3d'.
+ * Improved coloration in `sierpinski3d'.
+ * Made the GL hacks react to window size changes.
+ * Made most of the GL hacks take a -fps option (like
+ `pulsar' did), so you can use them to benchmark your
+ 3D hardware.
+ * Fixed the previous fix to `sonar'.
+ * Minor fix to `nerverot'.
+ Made sonar able to ping hosts on DEC OSF1.
+ * Eliminated a bogus "didn't get enough colors" warning
+ in some of the hacks.
+Changes since 3.27: * New logo for xscreensaver!
+ * New hacks, `starwars' and `stonerview'.
+ * Made the motion of the bouncing ball in `stairs' be a
+ little less jerky.
+ * Made newly-added screenhacks be added to .xscreensaver
+ automatically: if there are hacks in the app-defaults
+ file that are not also in ~/.xscreensaver, they will
+ be added to the end of the list.
+ * Redid the `Screensaver Options' part of the control
+ panel; xscreensaver now lets you configure your DPMS
+ settings.
+ * Fixed some Makefile problems with non-GL builds.
+ * Fixed detection of MesaGL for version 3.3.
+ * Better workaround to Red Hat 7.0's broken gcc.
+ * Added Sparc Solaris kernel panic to `bsod'.
+Changes since 3.26: * New hacks: `zoom' and `whirlwindwarp'.
+ * Fixed a free-memory-reference bug in `sonar'.
+ * Better error handling when there are no suitable GL
+ visuals.
+ * Added diagnostic dialog when xscreensaver-demo is
+ unable to launch xscreensaver (e.g., when running as
+ root.)
+ * Fixed a bug that caused screenhack argument changes
+ to be ignored when xscreensaver-demo was running as
+ root (if "root" and "nobody" have different home
+ directories.)
+ * Made the programs default to ":0" if $DISPLAY is unset.
+ * Made the `-verbose' output include information about
+ which server extensions were supported at compile time.
+ * Worked around Red Hat 7.0's broken gcc 2.96.
+ * Updated default delays on the GL hacks to look better
+ on machines with super-fast 3D hardware.
+ * Install `screensaver-properties-capplet' to work around
+ the usual egregious GNOME lossage.
+Changes since 3.25: * Added "enabled" checkboxes in the list of hacks in
+ xscreensaver-demo (Gtk version only.)
+ * New hacks `hyperball', `xrayswarm', and `gflux'.
+ * New versions of `nerverot', `galaxy', and `hypercube'.
+ * Small fixes to `phosphor', `shadebobs', `xflame',
+ and `sonar'.
+ * Added external helper program `xscreensaver-gl-helper'
+ to figure out which X visual to use for OpenGL
+ programs.
+ * Configure updates for XFree86 4.0, and for BSD.
+ * Made it be more tolerant of bogus /etc/group files.
+ * When installing the PAM config file, first try to just
+ copy an existing "xdm" or "login" config file, so that
+ xscreensaver does authentication in the same way as the
+ rest of the system.
+Changes since 3.24: * New hack, `nerverot'.
+ * Added BSD kernel panic to `bsod'.
+ * New version of `shadebobs'.
+ * New version of `petri'.
+ * Updated `webcollage' to handle recent Altavista URL
+ format changes; made it search the AP photo gallery.
+ * Revamped command-line options of `sonar' and made it
+ properly handle subnets.
+ * The `bubbles' hack can now trickle up or down the
+ screen.
+ * The `xsublim' hack can now read its text from programs.
+ * Support for GLE version 3 in `extrusion'.
+ * Fixed compilation problems in `maze'.
+ * Fixed a rare crash in `flow'.
+ * Fixes for minor installation problems.
+Changes since 3.23: * Added `-ignorant' option to `maze' hack.
+ * Updates to `critical', `bsod', `xflame', and `flow'.
+ * Added support for Kerberos 5 (via its Kerberos 4
+ compatibility layer.)
+ * Fixed a bad leak in `xteevee'.
+ * Updated `webcollage' to handle recent Altavista URL
+ format changes.
+ * Removed xscreensaver-demo's `Ok' and `Cancel' buttons,
+ since they were confusing people: all changes are now
+ instantanious.
+ * Made xscreensaver-demo install itself into the Gnome
+ Control Center.
+Changes since 3.22: * Fixed some misplaced text fields in the Motif version
+ of xscreensaver-demo; fixed a crash in the Gtk version
+ that would happen if the programs list was empty.
+ * Fixed a recently-introduced bug in `pulsar'.
+ * Made `sierpinski3d' use solid tetrahedrons instead of
+ points.
+ * Added `-trace' option to `xmatrix'.
+ * Added new hacks `xteevee' and `xspirograph'.
+Changes since 3.21: * Fixed some bugs in xscreensaver-demo.
+ * Rewrote the Motif version of xscreensaver-demo to
+ match the new Gtk version.
+ * The Athena toolkit is no longer supported.
+Changes since 3.20: * Tweaked the xscreensaver-demo UI (Gtk only.)
+ * Fixed a few visual selection bugs. I think the proper
+ GL visual should be used with nVidia systems now.
+ * Made the Makefiles obey $install_prefix.
+ * Made the `xscreensaver.spec' file able to generate both
+ GL and non-GL packages simultaneously.
+Changes since 3.19: * Added new hacks `ripples' and `sierpinski3d'.
+ * Made `xscreensaver-command -exit' be silent when no
+ screen saver was running (instead of complaining.)
+ * Made `webcollage' and `vidwhacker' use `xloadimage'
+ when available (in addition to `xli' and `xv'.)
+ * Improved memory usage in `petri' and gave it a hard
+ cap on how much memory it can allocate.
+ * Added `-watch' option to `xscreensaver-command'.
+ * Made `xscreensaver-demo' come up with the
+ most-recently-run hack selected by default.
+ * Rewrote the Gtk version of `xscreensaver-demo'.
+ It's a lot easier to use now.
+ * Extended the format of the programs list in the
+ .xscreensaver file, for the benefit of the new
+ capabilities of `xscreensaver-demo'.
+ NOTE: you might want to delete your ~/.xscreensaver
+ file and allow it to be re-created! The old one
+ should still work, but xscreensaver-demo won't be as
+ pretty.
+Changes since 3.18: * Fixed gcc dependencies in `bumps' and `ccurve'.
+ * New hack, `extrusion'.
+ * Some of the web sites that `webcollage' was using as
+ its sources changed formats; tweaked it to understand
+ the current layouts.
+ * Added typeahead in the password dialog: if the screen
+ is locked, and you unlock it by typing a character,
+ that key will be automatically inserted in the
+ password dialog (unless it is Return, Enter, Space,
+ or a non-printing key like Shift.)
+ * Made `xmatrix' take a `-small' option, since some
+ folks with tiny screens prefer a smaller font.
Changes since 3.17: * New versions of `shadebobs', `lmorph', and `distort'.
* Added `ccurve', `blaster', and `bumps' hacks.
* Replaced `forest' hack with a rewritten version.
projects / xscreensaver / blobdiff