Show HN: ANSI-Saver – A macOS Screensaver (github.com)

Those are some intense system requirements.

As someone with a flying toasters tie, I can’t wait to try this.

This is really great work, I’m installing this immediately once I’m back on my machine

My terminal loads ANSI each time it opens, but requires downloading artpacks first: https://github.com/retlehs/ansimotd

I also like how your README suggests specific packs to grab

Tahoe only? Yikes!

You're inspiring me to attempt a rescue of my last BBS (MajorBBS system) from 1991-1993. It had some great ANSI room and section screens. It was run from a single 1GB(!!) drive that cost us $1000. We had email, a couple stores (one of the first online book stores) and store-n-forward mail systems, maybe finger and telnet(?). Unfortunately, a neighbor got stoned, had a cigarette in bed and burned up his house and ours. Nobody hurt, but the BBS wasn't backed up offsite.

Added a demo video and an explaining post on my own site: https://leandroardissone.com/posts/ansi-saver

This would be great with an option to draw each ANSI line by line with pixels drawn left to right. The same way it was experienced over dialup.

The options could be baud rates: 56k, 14.4, 2400

This is brilliant - thanks!

There are so many packs on that site to choose from, it would be great to get some pointers on which ones to install.

This is absolutely brilliant. I've been toying with the codebase and thought this would work really well similar to the 'Macintosh' style animated screensaver present in macOS's more recent updates.

https://youtu.be/gSss24I_y3M

Still a bit rough around the edges. I am currently adding per-character animation so the grid enters like a "wave"

Anyone else having trouble getting this to work?

I tried building myself, and the build ended with a certificate error. (I get it, distributing software always hits unexpected snags.)

Then I installed from zip and when I use preview (in the screen saver options,) I just get a blank screen. There's a message at the top of the screen, but most of it is truncated from the notch from the camera.

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Edit: I tried adding sources, but they don't seem to download. Not sure why. Sigh.

It's able to download packs but you have to disable Lulu when you first run the screen saver itself because Lulu doesn't seem to detect its network access (and can't allow you to approve it)

It seems to also download the HTML for the 16colors page, and will occasionally display it.

Thank you so much for building this. The larger demoscene art community needs something like this. Also, as someone suggested, maybe a starter default art pack would be awesome.

Nice work! The ANSI art scene was such a unique corner of computing history. Would love to see a "slow scroll" mode that simulates the modem experience — watching art render line by line over a 14.4k connection was half the magic.

From great constraint springs great creativity. Brought back fond memories of the BBS scene in the 80s. Thanks to any USR people who may be reading this, my HST (with sysop discount) opened up a world to me.

Such a great idea!

Added a modem emulation mode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwgoDvFB8Ak

Very cool... I ran a Telegard BBS back when I was a kid, definitely brings back great memories of all the cool ANSI art!