Not to be confused with the Mac OS X widgets thread, this is the Mac OS X screen savers thread (this one's even more useless!).
So, way back in the day, I made some screen savers for the Amiga named "LotsaBlankers". Later on, I ported some of them to Windows, and created some new ones, but I never managed to make a stable and functional enough screen saver under Windows that I'd feel like releasing it. But now that I've got Mac OS X, I've started porting some of this old code over, since making screen savers for OS X is pretty easy and fun. First one I've got running is this one:
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/LotsaEscher.zip
It's based on the work presented on this site, http://escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl/, and it is liable to BLOW YOUR MIND, MAAAAN. I've been too lazy to figure out how to make a preferences GUI for it yet, so even though the code supports all the possible different transformations of the image (Some listed here: http://escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl/index.php?menu=im&sub=escher), you can't actually pick which one you want yet.
There's likely to be more to come. Enjoy!
I don't know what I did, but the shrinking desktop thing is gone. I noticed that it was less pronounced after reinstalling the screensaver, and after messing around with different desktop images it is completely gone. So, it seems to be working fine now. :)
I am likewise having problems with the black bars/shrinking issue with this in Lion. On my usual loose windows desktop, I get the shrinking. On a full-screen iCal window, I do not. The shrinking really ruins the elegance of the effect, I think. Any word on a fix?
LotsaWater 1.7 is out now. Hopefully this fixes the multi-monitor and black bar issues. Getting this right is apparently a real pain in the ass, but it seems to work for now.
LotsaSnow 1.5 is also released, with the updated screen grabbing code, for anyone who might be running it with desktop grabbing.
What I expected is LotsaWater can support screen saver with password protect. you know if I configured to provide password after screensaver, then the LotsaWater cannot display with colors, it's only with black color.
That is an OS X security feature. Screenshotting is disabled when the screensaver password is turned on.
thank you! thank you! thank you! and like, times a thousand more.
"That is an OS X security feature. Screenshotting is disabled when the screensaver password is turned on."
So is there anyway to hack around that? I'd really like to use this in a work environment.
No way I know about. The screenshot API introduced in 10.5 is also disabled when a password-protected screensaver is launched.
If anyone can dig up any hints to a way to circumvent it, I'd be very interested, but I don't hold out much hope.
I can post and I see it in the mysql database but wakaba.html is not showing any posts.
I have missed having this screen saver! I have Lion with 10.7.3 with an Intel Core purchased early 2011, but even with the 10.6 version and no password to return from screen saver, it is simply a black screen. Any other fixes? I gave my husband my older laptop that has Leopard still and every time it comes on, I suffer pangs or jealousy! Thanks tons in advance for any help you can offer!
@Shantell - In the options part, choose custom for the image and just click and drag an image from iPhoto and you should be good to go.
Unfortunately, OS X Mavericks GM (somewhat) breaks this screensaver again. For a desktop screenshot it works if you click the "preview" button but when the time comes for the screensaver to be activated it just shows a black screen with water ripples. Custom image still works but that's not really the appeal of this screensaver.
Is password locking on?
nope. I remembered this being an issue a while back and made sure to disable all passwords when i'm using this screensaver.
Hmm, I'll have to look into it once I get Mavericks.
All right, I managed to find a workaround for the new silly behaviours in Mavericks. It's not perfect, though, the screen will quickly flash black before the screensaver activates. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way around this other than if Apple fixes Mavericks.
So there are new versions of LotsaWater and LotsaSnow, and while LotsaEscher had no issues with this, I fixed some old bugs there too so there's a new version of that too:
multi-monitor has a problem,when I use custom function , if one's screen resolution is not the same as the other one, the side of the big one will display black colour.
So , could we set two pictures for each other for different resolution?
My osx ver is 10.9
Please update the screen savers pages with the minimum requirements for each release. (OS versions and Intel vs PPC)
I volunteer to service donated Macs for benevolent causes around the world and here at home. We often get older units, so I want to know which version I can install where.
Thanks.
As tangoldduck said, under OSX 10.9, there is a prob on multi-monitor macs: my iMac (resolution 2560x1440) runs lotawater as expected, but the second monitor (1440x900) doesn't.
But, when I just preview the screensaver, both monitors display separated monitors screenshots as expected.
When the app is auto launched, problem occurs.
Of course, it only happens when the 'desktop snapshot' is seleceted.
LotsaWater has problems with multiple monitors and Mavericks 10.9.1. One monitor is normal, the other is black. Needs separate screenshot for each monitor. My monitor resolutions are 1650x1080 normal & 1280x1024 black.
Having same multi screen issues as others. Black screen on all monitors except primary monitor. I hope you get around to fixing this :)
Same issue here. Dual display setup and smaller secondary display is black. Yosemite 10.10.2
Mac OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite Update (the .3) came finally out of beta.
The Beta versions (seeds) worked with LotsaGlass and I guess LotsaWater (not sure if I tested it, but ran LotsaGlass till today), but as of today they broke both LotsaWater and LotsaGlass to the point that SystemConfiguration kill itself when they are still present. I downloaded them new, seeing that at least one had a new version (mine where from 2009), but both do not work. My guess is, LotsaEscher does also not work.
Interestingly Mac OS switched to a different plain OS Screensaver by itself, thats when I noticed and tested it.
Solved!
OK, so Apple released an additional update for 10.10.3, April 16th 2015 or so.
And for my Beta Seed 10.10.4, I have 2 Mac mini (one as a server), so installed both and on both the Lotsa Glass/Lotsa Water Screensavers.
Both work again and to not kill the Systemconfiguration panel when called.
After what I saw of the Beta test of 10.10.3, with at least 5 version seeded to me, I am surprised they screwed up this bad, there is are supposed to be more errors, like on showstopper where preview kills itself when displaying certain images on certain graphic cards - confirmed and reproduced http://heise.de/-2610406 , resulting in a Kernalpanic when displaying JPEG on an iMac Retina 5K.
Hi, just to report that the black screen issue still is present in El Capitan, but the problem now extends to the primary screen as well. But I haven't lost my faith in LotsaWater! Still my favorite screen saver :)
Is there going to be a version of Lotsawater that works with El Capitan (v10.11.2)? I love this screensaver and would hate to lose it. I'm running it, or trying to, on a late 2011 MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7 with 16GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB.
Lotsawater works with 10.10.3. Thanks!
UPDATE: Okay, some more info... not sure what's going on here but apparently the newest version of LotsaWater DOES WORK on my MacBook, but only SOMETIMES.
It seems to capture the screenshot image okay when using "Preview" from the System Preferences screen saver panel, and also only SOMETIMES runs correctly (with screenshot) when I kick the screensaver into action using the HotCorner setting.
But depending on letting it just "time out" to activate, that only seems to show a black screen with the water effect, i.e. no screen capture. It may also have to do with what application I have running in the foreground (chrome browser?) that's maybe preventing the screen capture? Really not sure, what's goin' on here... any help?
UPDATE, AGAIN: I'm still trying to figure this out but apparently whatever application window is currently "foreground" or most-recently selected is affecting LotsaWater's ability to do the screen capture.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it fails and the water effect only runs against a black screen.
The difference is even sometimes apparently only as minor as which TAB of the System Preferences dialog box is selected (i.e. it works after pressing "preview" in the screen saver tab, but then switching to desktop wallpaper on that tab and activating the screensaver only results in black screen).
This is really weird, srsly LOL -- anyone have any idea what's goin' on with LotsaWater on my MacBook? Again this is running on Mavericks v.10.9.5
IS ANYONE READING THIS SUPPORT THREAD ANYMORE? HELLO...???
I also have trouble with LotsaWater on Sierra 10.12.1.
Preview button in sysprefs works sometimes but mostly throws up a fogged screen beneath the ripple animation that has two buttons "switch user" or "cancel", while the hot corner activation pulls a black screen under the animation, and activating it on time, normally rather, does either of the inappropriate screen grabs.
I have lotsawarer 1.8 on Yosemite - no problem.
On another machine running Sierra I have version 1.7 and it works.
Mind you, 1.7 was installed probably back in Mavericks days, rather than fresh on Sierra.
I tried 1.8 on Sierra and it did NOT work.
Hope this helps.
Too bad, on Sierra, the screen shot renders a black screen, while the preview works as expected...
Still, LotsAWater remains my favorite screen saver :)
Hope you'll fix the screenshot s***
macOS Sierra 10.12.3,
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5i, late 2015)
3,1 GHz Intel Core i5
16 Go 1867 MHz DDR3
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 1536 Mo
Thx