They also used to serve a very important purpose, and may still today.
That purpose was described in the name itself all this time.
They were a big deal inearly versions of Windowsand macOS.
Microsoft
However, they weren’t just there for your enjoyment.
Screen savers had a very specific purpose—to literally keep your screen.
Essentially, parts of the phosphorescent screen glow for so long that they become unevenly worn down.
Piercetheorganist / Wikipedia Commons
The result is a faint ghost image that can be seen when the screen is off.
Screen savers prevented this by automatically activating when the computer wasn’t in use.
Hence the name “screen saver”—they literally save the screen from burn-in.
Related:What Is a CRT, and Why Don’t We Use Them Anymore?
Are Screen Savers Still Necessary?
CRT monitors are a thing of the past, but screen savers remain on modern operating systems.
you’re free to use a screen saver inWindows 10,Windows 11, andmacOS.
Is it actually neccessary without a CRT monitor?
In short: No,screensavers are no longer necessary, but there may be some exceptions.
Most modern computer monitors are LCD (liquid-crystal display).
LCD monitors don’t have any phosphors that can get unevenly worn down and burn in.
The other thing to think about is thepower-saving modesthat didn’t used to exist.
After all, will anyone even be around to see the screen saver?
Related:Does Hibernating My PC Save More Energy Than Sleep?
What About OLED?
There’s one modern scenario where a screen saver might still be necessary.
OLED monitors are slowly becoming more popular, and they aremore susceptible to burn-in than LCD monitors.
“OLED” stands for “Organic Light Emitting Diode.”
Since each diode emits its own light, they can degrade unevenly over time.
This results in burn-in.
However, it’s probably better to simplyadjust when the screen turns off.
I love it when terms have been said so many times that they lose their original meanings.
Related:OLED Screen Burn-In: How Worried Should You Be?
