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After Dark is a series of the most famous computer screensaver software first released on MAC in 1989. PC monitors of this time could leave a burned in image on screen if the same image was on the computer for too long a time. A screensaver would alternate images to prevent this. Following the original, additional editions included More After Dark, Before Dark, and editions themed around licensed properties such as Star Trek, The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, Marvel, and Disney characters. On top of the included animated screensavers, the program allowed for the development and use of third-party modules, many hundreds of which were created at the height of its popularity. The most famous of the included screensaver modules is the iconic Flying Toasters, which featured 1940s-style chrome toasters sporting bird-like wings, flying across the screen with pieces of toast. Engineer Jack Eastman came up with the display after seeing a toaster in the kitchen during a late-night programming session and imagining the addition of wings. A slider in the Flying Toasters module enabled users to adjust the toast's darkness, and an updated Flying Toasters Pro module added a choice of music - Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries or a flying toaster anthem with optional karaoke lyrics. Yet another version called Flying Toasters! added bagels and pastries, baby toasters, and more elaborate toaster animation. The Flying Toasters were one of the key reasons that After Dark became popular, and Berkeley began to produce other merchandising products such as T-shirts with the Flying Toaster image and slogans such as "The 51st Flying Toaster Squadron: On a mission to save your screen!" After Dark 2.0 adds a number of screen saver modules. Specially themed variations also become available.
After Dark 3.x includes many more screen savers, and takes advantage of 256-color palletized video. It continued to support Windows 3.0 and use its own screen saver module format, even though Windows 3.1 included its own screen saver system. After Dark 4.0 has 32-bit support for Windows 9x. It includes new screen savers that use photographic and rendered artwork animation. The "Deluxe" version includes screen saver modules from earlier releases. |
