adding a screensaver

Kdiver58 · 04-15-2003, 05:33 PM

This is going to be simple for you folks. I am running Linux Mandrake 9.0 and want to have the Matrix screensaver, vertical running numbers, on my computer. How do I do it?
I can change from one type of screensaver to another within Mandrake but how do I add one and how can I make Linux find it?
I know you folks love this O/S (linux) but to me it seems like everything is a pain to do.

mhearn · 04-16-2003, 04:34 AM

Install xscreensaver, then run

/usr/X11R6/lib/xscreensaver/xmatrix

XMatrix should appear.

To make it act as your screensaver, you need to make xscreensaver your default screensaver system. Unless you are running KDE, this should already be the case.

puppy · 09-26-2003, 06:14 AM

But with another screensaver - can you clarify "how" you check what screensaver system you are running and why is KDE running a different one??

mhearn · 09-26-2003, 06:27 AM

do something like this:

ps ax | grep xscreensaver

If you see xscreensaver -nosplash running, or something like that, it means you're using xscreensaver (ignore the second line which is the grep command you just ran).

KDE use their own screensaver system due to NIH syndrome on the part of their developers, ie it's not written in Qt style C++ therefore it must be inferior and recreated.

At some point we need to standardise this. It's on peoples TODO lists, look at it that way, but not very high priority right now.