XScreenSaver vs ColorfulThunder

The XScreenSaver application is a large collection of historic and educational graphics demos. XScreenSaver is the standard screen saver collection shipped on most Linux and Unix systems. I released the first version in 1992. In 2006, I ported it to MacOS, and in 2012 I ported it to iOS. This application is not a screen saver, of course, since iOS doesn't have those. But it does let you play with the hundreds of graphics demos that are a part of the XScreenSaver collection.

People already come together for moments that matter: a Friday-night football game, a school pep rally, a birthday, a charity walk, a classroom demonstration, a community celebration, or a performance. ColorfulThunder gives everyone there a way to become part of the moment. CREATE THE COLORS FOR YOUR EVENT Choose a sequence of colors and decide how quickly they change. Play it on your own screen to see how it will look. ColorfulThunder calls this visual color sequence a ColorTune. INVITE EVERYONE TO TAKE PART Give everyone the same ColorTune and speed. Send the ColorTune file by email, share event instructions through a message or website, or put a link to the instructions and sequence in a QR code on a poster. ColorfulThunder does not create QR codes. Organizers can use a QR-code service to point people to their event instructions and shared sequence. MAKE EVERY SCREEN PART OF THE MOMENT Each person opens the shared sequence on their own iPhone or iPad. When it plays, ColorfulThunder keeps the displays moving together. At a football or soccer game, the crowd can share team colors. At a pep rally, students can make school spirit visible. A marching band or performer can invite the audience to add color. During a classroom demonstration, separate screens can show how individual parts form a larger pattern. At a charity walk, ceremony, or community celebration, everyone can share a visual expression of the occasion. Everyone still holds their own screen, but the color belongs to the moment. LIGHT, NOT SOUND ColorfulThunder borrows the ideas of notes, speed, and composition from music, but it displays color. It does not create music or automatically follow a band, song, or live performance. BEFORE YOUR EVENT Every participating device needs the same ColorTune and speed. An internet connection is needed when the displays line up. Test the sequence and sharing method with the devices you plan to use before the event. ColorfulThunder does not find nearby people, create a group session, manage an event, control stadium screens, or operate external lights. Event organizers remain responsible for permissions, safety, accessibility, internet access, and venue rules. Hear the Light. See the Sound.