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Randycat2001 · Apr 12, 2001, 04:34 PM

How come no one has invented desktop pictures that animate in realtime? Either a short-looped movie or realtime-generated CGI (a growing fractal?)- sort of like those Setting Sun screensavers except maybe simpler so it doesn't hog up to much CPU? ...Or maybe a java applet that would put slow water ripples in your desktop image? How about a sequence of crossfade/morphs over several desktop pictures in a specified folder? How about putting that iTunes graphics engine to work for some improv screen effects?

I know about iCam master where it automatically can update your desktop image in sync with an online-camera image. That's a start except for the logistical problem of streaming/downloading an appreciable image that would cover your desktop.

Wouldn't a living desktop be really cool? Wouldn't it be really cool if OSX was the first to pull-off such a feature (what with all of its sophisticated graphics API)?

[This message has been edited by Randycat2001 (edited 04-12-2001).]

spicyjeff · Apr 12, 2001, 05:25 PM

You could actually do this in OS 8/9 by playing a DVD as the desktop picture. If forget the exact process but it had something to do with taking a clipping file of the paying movie (which look just green or blue if you were to view it) and dragging it onto the appearance desktop control panel window. Then there was some trick, like playing the DVD without a viewer window or something that would make the DVD your desktop picture.

As for OS X, I've tried Quicktime movies without success...I was hoping I would get a pleasant surprise by just trying. But no, I don't think there is a way.

[This message has been edited by spicyjeff (edited 04-12-2001).]

yoyo52 · Apr 12, 2001, 07:23 PM

Have you tried the Maya screensaver in X? It is very neat, I think.

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Randycat2001 · Apr 12, 2001, 07:37 PM

I have not heard of this. Please describe what it does.

What I'm talking about here is not a screensaver that comes on after prolonged idle, but something that is running in the background all the time, gradually changing your desktop over the coarse of a day.

RoofusPennymore · Apr 13, 2001, 12:56 AM

NeXT machines could do it. You could set your screen saver as the background. There was a program by a company that Guy Kawaski started that made just such a program for the Mac. Cannot remember what it was called but I will try to find some more info.

yoyo52 · Apr 13, 2001, 01:27 AM

The Maya screensaver is just a screensaver, but it's a very brilliant, inventive one. A great many of the forms have a biological look to them. For instance, a leaf-like image will spring into view, then burgeon into more leaves, a trunk, branches, flowers, more leaves, vine-like twisting tubes. And then the whole thing will clear and something else will begin. It's pretty mesmerizing

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posthumanus · Apr 13, 2001, 07:28 AM

i knew i'd seen something about this before:
http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/Foru...ML/001738.html

maybe it'll help.

posthumanus.

Randycat2001 · Apr 13, 2001, 10:55 AM

Wow, that's pretty weird that you can do that! That could be exploited in some pretty clever ways, I imagine. Does it matter if it is software or hardware DVD playback?

RoofusPennymore · Apr 13, 2001, 01:06 PM

I belive you have to have hardware decoding.

Patrick · Apr 13, 2001, 02:43 PM

A number of years ago (7 or 8? It was before MacOS 7.5 at least) there was a program called "Fish!" that would animate icons that moved either horizontally or vertically across your desktop or were anchored on the bottom of the screen. There was also an After Dark screensaver that did the same thing. You could even put in your own pictures and animate them for a couple frames. I had a lot of fun creating different sets of these things. I think it was a control panel or something. Anyone else remember it?

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 04-13-2001).]