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Quartz Snowfall Screensaver For The Mac

joeyinteractive.com — This is the beautiful screensaver they're running in the windows of the Apple stores.

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upinthemix 1 year 255 days ago, made popular 1 year 254 days ago

1578 diggs
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joel8x, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Great find!
- bSimms, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah, I was running Snowsaver but it doesn't work well with dual displays, this works great and looks better too.
RavenBladeX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Wow! Just what I was looking for. Thanks!
soopafly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29Direct link to the screen saver:
http://www.alittlebitofnothingleft.net/snowfall/
Vyx36, on 10/12/2007, -27/+3Not really anything new... Though I suppose it is a bit obscure.

*digg*
- r3tex, on 10/12/2007, -42/+2 yeah Beryl had this effect on the DESKTOP waay before, mac developers are so bad at innovating!!!
  This looks nice / different though :D
- DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11You can easily put any Quartz composition like this one on the OS X desktop using a freeware called "Quartz Desktop":
  
  http://www.fourminutemilesoftware.com/quartzdesktop/
  
  Seriously r3tex, do you have any idea what Quartz Composer is? Not to brag or bash, but linux (and Windows) doesn't have anything even close to what Quartz Composer is...
- DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Actually, the snow screensaver for Beryl does not use the CPU at all from what I understand. Quartz animations require quite a bit of CPU time on my system. The linux guys have a few tricks up their sleeves.
- itsonlyme, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8*DelMonte
  
  You can put screen savers on the desktop with only the terminal... Try running this
  
  # cd /System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources
  # ./ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine -background &
- devoinregress, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I am pretty sure Apple came up with Quartz first. Beryl uses a lot of Quartz inspired features like the rotating cube and expose features.
- SenatorPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I can confidently say that Quartz Composer is the best kept secret in Mac development. It has an incredible interface, where you just drag modules onto a field, connecting inputs to outputs; it is quite easy to make a very visually pleasing animation, or interactive screensaver.
  No programming required, though you can incorporate it into OS X apps, I have no idea why more people don't know about this.
  I usually don't fanboy about Apple stuff, but QC is truly spectacular. Free, included with the developer tools.
spideykonfusion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2very sexy :D
Lambeco, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7Am I the only one who ended up with a porn screensaver?
- ATLBeer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+43Well, I got a snowflake screensaver but, now I want the porn screensaver
  
  Worst christmas ever.
- astrosmash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Snowflake porn, yes.
- DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A screensaver mixing porn and snowflakes should be called: Porn Flakes!
danfuturo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2This is nice...minimal yet aesthetically pleasing. I didn't even realize Apple had this up in the stores until now. Guess I'm not a true fanboy =(
speedy11309, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16anyone know of one like it for windows? i wouldn't mind my windows copying macs every now and then.
- wastern, on 10/12/2007, -7/+17now and then...haha
  
  Well, this isn't a case of coping Macs, its a 3rd party screensaver. Windows may have a lot of developers, but the small mac developers really come out with some great things. People always say they can't go to OS X because the apps aren't there. I say I can't go back to Windows because the apps aren't there. There aren't as many, but they are a lot higher quality and more polished
jontom, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Doesn't seem to work on my Macbook Pro 17".
- wastern, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Works great on my 15" MacBook Pro
- wheezl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7You just downloaded the wrong one, Snowsaver is PPC only, Snowfall works fine on the intel boxen.
- wheezl, on 10/12/2007, -11/+1You just downloaded the wrong one; Snowsaver is PPC only, Snowfall works fine on the intel boxen.
- astrosmash, on 10/12/2007, -12/+7You just downloaded the wrong one; Snowsaver is PPC only, Snowfall works fine on the intel boxen.
- Lyph4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+27What the ***** is a boxen, and why does seeing it drive me into an insane rage?
- acomj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+111 ox
  2 or more oxen
  
  1 box
  ........
  I think its just people confused by plurals.
- mikev, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2I think it's people being confused by people refering to the plural of box as boxen. :x
  
  ;]
Domza, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7This would be great, but in the southern hemisphere we're battling massive bushfires (Victoria, Australia), looks pretty though :)
jontom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you follow soopafly's direct link you'll get a different screen saver... that works.
devolve, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Is there something similar for windows? I haven't managed to convince my boss that I work best with a mac yet.
- BrotherGA2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2just use paralels and virtue desktops...he'll never know.
  
  multiple OS macs FTW.
Talez, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Has anyone made an app that simulates a snowfall on OS X?
- Moeface, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Are you a fool?
- wastern, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2you can run a screen saver as your wallpaper via a terminal command or google Backdrop2...i think it is to give yourself a menu bar item for setting it with out the terminal
StellarlyAstral, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1I'll stick with Fenetres Volantes
deweyhewson, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1This one is for Windows. Small (100kb) and best of all, free.

http://www.tucows.com/preview/154068
- sunbeam60, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Man, I'm a PC owner and love my Windows and all, but seriously, the screensaver you linked to is, well, not very attractive and the Mac version is very attractive. Not quite the same.
- deweyhewson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Have you tried it? Yes, the screenshot looks like crap, but the screensaver itself isn't that bad.
modian, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11really nice looking one for windows:
http://www.isotope244.com/3d-screensavers.html (scroll down to Snowflake 3D)
screenshots:
http://www.isotope244.com/i/snowflake-3d-1.jpg
http://www.isotope244.com/i/snowflake-3d-2.jpg
http://www.isotope244.com/i/snowflake-3d-3.jpg
http://www.isotope244.com/i/snowflake-3d-4.jpg

Microsoft also has one here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/desktop/screensavers.mspx
direct dl: http://tinyurl.com/47yzc
artemis1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0slow it down and increase the count. Beautiful!
Arkitan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Find a picture of a snowy scene and put it in the background, great screen saver.
SleepJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Very cool. As much as I'm attached to my "Hills" screensaver, this will be replacing it for a pretty long while.

Thanks
freestufftimes, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Theres gotta be someone out there who can make this work on windows
willlow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You can get hundreds of Quartz Composer based screensavers here: http://www.quartzcompositions.com/phpBB2/upload/index.php?cmd=top
Snow is cool, but my favorite is the following: http://www.quartzcompositions.com/phpBB2/upload/download.php?file=59
Reacts to music, very cool.
forgetmenots, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This guy's blog has another fun link I found that lets you make your own snowflake and sends you an .eps when you're done. You can cut sections out or undo your cuts. Very well created and worth checking out!
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/
taxonimous, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Just what my ba-humbug Mac needed to cheer it up
craigyjack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1very nice screensaver!!
didnt like the stock options, but once checking out the options, you can change color, remove/keep those strips, change speed etc of snowflakes, and even put an image in the background of the snow flakes. looks really good over a nice black and white photo i think!
what a great way to give my mac a nice wintery feel, thanks for the find.
RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No wonder he couldn't find it using Google - http://www.alittlebitofnothingleft.net/snowfall/ has absolutely NO TEXT. WTF was that designer thinking?
jonahan52, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Doesn't abide with security settings to require a password. Feh
- jumanji69, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The password feature works for me...
rompom7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm sticking with electric sheep.

http://electricsheep.org/
uuhclem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0drat, nothing at the .dmg link, any mirrors?
apache2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2you've got to be kidding me, people still use screen savers?
jayyoung, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1i have xp and it does show up in display properties

j/k
.mark, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anyone know of some really nice 1440x900 wallpapers that are holiday related?
- sup191, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here's one of my favorite site's for widescreen wallpaper: http://www.vladstudio.com/home/
  
  If you want some of the larger sizes, you'll have to register. (It's only a one time registration for unlimited lifetime downloads)
  
  Your 1440x900 is for registered users, but some of the smaller sizes of these wallpapers stretch perfectly in XP.
  
  Just a suggestion. :)
- foxmajik, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2>Anyone know of some really nice 1440x900 wallpapers that are holiday related?
  
  We get it, you have a huge monitor. STFU.
schadenfroh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I see in the options you can use a background image, I think a wintery picture would be a good one to use. Anyone have a good one? I can't seem to find any..
- TheRealDeal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Try the "Aqua Blue" (Aqua Blue.jpg) picture in the Macintosh HD / Library / Desktop Pictures directory. I did this on my MacBook and it looks pretty cool.
- PhillyMJS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Try searching for 'snowscape' on Google Images. I found a couple nice photos doing that.
  
  ~Philly
- bpwwhirl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Type "snow scene" into google image search. You'll get some good, high res results.
Gigabyte, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1This is total ***** because it doesn't work on Windows (the only _good_ OS)
abxy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ok, I put the the .qtz file in my "~/library/Screen Savers" folder and when I go to System Preferences, it's not showing up under the screen savers. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

I'm running 10.4.8 on a 400mhz G4 PPC
- TheRealDeal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I put it under Macintosh HD / Library / Screen Savers and it worked perfectly. I put it up a level so that it would be available to all users. Hope this helps.
- abxy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Nah, that doesn't seem to be working either. I should mention that I know how to navigate macs, but this is the first mac that I actually own, so is there some sort of Quartz Composer related update I need or anything like that?
  
  It's just not showing up under Sys Prefs/ Desktop and Screensavers
- sitric, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1same here bro... not working for me either... i use a hackintosh on my compaq rig... and it is 10.4.8...
- coldfusion1970, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1On my work machine i I double clicked the screen saver file and it asked me if i wanted to install for the 'current user' or 'for all users'.
  But on my home machine it opened the Quartz Composer application when i double clicked it.
- firsttube, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I see your 400 mhz g4, and raise you a 400 mhz g3. screensaver doesn't work, however.
foxmajik, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1This was already available for Beryl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6rOhwMS94

Oh, and its platform doesn't cost $1,000.

Oh, and it's accelerated in hardware.

Wait, one more thing.

If you don't like how it works you can change the code and recompile it so it does.
- coldfusion1970, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3But is it a platform that can run Mac OS X?
- FluffyArmada, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Come now... don't be mean, just post your own story about Beryl's snow-fall looking screensaver... no need to flaimbait.
joblessjunkie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Nice.... but snowflakes are flat.
uownedge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Beautiful screen saver! In the spirit of the season, it has temporarily replaced ToasterClone.
skater4life757, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Bah. Wish it would work with Panther :( . Anybody find another similar that works with all OS X's?
FluffyArmada, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You might consider http://www.ittpoi.com/sno/ ... it's kinda like xsnow for Mac OS X. It works as a screensaver too. :)
JPresEFnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0hmmm, subliminal Circuit City spam?
mooseworks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Has anyone else noticed that after about 10 (ten) minutes, the snow loses its randomness effect and ends up with just the same snowflake falling down in wavy lines. After another 10 minutes, it seems to improve again.
Maybe its just my Mac or the settings I have for the saver? In fact it seems that the slower I set it, the more likely it is to get lines of the same snowflake, rather spoiling the effect.
It is a bit of a shame because I really like it and it has impressed lots of my clients - seems to relax them.
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Quartz Snowfall Screensaver For The Mac

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