A computer program designed to prevent screen burn-in, which can occur if the same, unmoving image remains on a computer display for an extended period of time. A screen saver is a program that varies the screen image if no keyboard or mouse movement is detected within a specified period of time (usually user-definable). Although screen burn-in is not really a threat to most modern computer monitors (a static image would need to remain on the display for at least a year), screen savers are nevertheless a feature of many operating systems, and third-party screen saver programs are very popular in the consumer market. Although their efficacy is open to some debate, many screen savers are very entertaining, often more so than much more expensive video games.
|