Screensaver to be or not to be (was: Re: Security Audit Request for Screenlocker Branch)

[Thomas Lübking]

Am Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:47:52 -0400
schrieb Michael Pyne <mpyne at kde.org>:

> On Tuesday, October 11, 2011 20:54:42 Thomas Lübking wrote:
> > BUT: running them automatically because you're away and the system
> > is idle is simply not a justifiable (anymore)
> 
> With all due respect, and with full agreement that screen savers are
> not in general required to *protect the screen*... who are you to
> unilaterally declare what is and is not justifiable for a user to
> want to do with their own computer?

I'm me, everything else would be quite a problem.

Maybe "justifiable" is not exactly the correct English term and it's
more like "reasonable", to me it's only a nuance, but it could be read
much different. I apologize in case i sounded like some Interface-Nazi.

Again: i did no way question to run such eye-candy processes for the
only reason of eye-candy, not at all.
This should not be prohibited and i did not suggest so.
To the contrary, i've attached a script to run various matrix
animations which serve *no* purpose but watching them.

But do you know such reason why somebody should want to use a
"screensaver"
a) that does not serve to protect the screen
b) that does not serve to protect the account (locker)
c) while nobody is there to watch it?

Now, if a user really wants to use such process to suck out his battery
while he's walking the dog or so, he perfectly can do, and i won't
discuss that.
He has every right to do, but it's unreasonable behavior nevertheless,
is it?


The question however is, whether the system should automatically start
such process while it could remain completely idle, since this is what
happens with screensavers atm.

If so, why isn't there an option to calculate Pi to a precision of
10^-(10^100) after an idle time of 5 minutes - that's just as good,
isn't?

Who declared that it's justifiable to render unseen animations, but
that it's not justifiable to calculate Pi (and throw away the result)?

Not that it would be any of my business, but i'm curious regarding this
discussion:
Do you have configured a "saver" beyond dpms?
  And if, why?
Do you use a locker beyond a black screen?
  And if, why?

Cheers,
Thomas