Theme 1 – Getting After Dark to run on modern systems
Users repeatedly discuss the technical hurdles of getting the classic screensavers to work on Windows, macOS, Wayland, or browsers.
- pogue: “I need this for Windows.”
- pogue: “I appreciate the link, but as far as using it aa a screen saver, that's not what I'm looking for.”
- jamesfmilne: “You need to enable the Screen Saver module in the Afterglow settings first.”
- nickt: “In screen savers, scroll to the bottom - and click on the easy to miss 'Show All' on the right side. You should see Afterglow in the expanded list.”
- Backslashes: “I redid just the other day the Flying Toasters in-browser with the full logic from the original, toast‑juggler and everything.”
Theme 2 – Nostalgia for specific classic modules and content
Many commenters express a strong desire for particular After Dark add‑ons (Star Trek, Lunatic Fringe, Flying Toasters, HAL 9000, etc.) and recall the nostalgia of obtaining them.
- devindotcom: “I need the Star Trek modules, which I recall waiting overnight to pirate from a BBS on my 14.4k. 'Do NOT pick up the phone, mom.'”
- reaperducer: “I need the Star Trek modules” (re‑iterated).
- orangecat: provides a link to a Lunatic Fringe port: https://morphing.cloud/lunacy/
- dylan604: references the HAL 9000 project and praises the 4K YouTube stream quality.
- rconti: notes the original price (“$110 in today's money… More than $7 per screen saver!”) underscoring the sentimental value.
Theme 3 – Legal and copyright concerns around distribution
The thread frequently touches on whether bundling or linking to the screensaver assets raises liability issues, citing precedent and user‑responsibility models.
- schoen: “We lost a Supreme Court case in 2005 on 'inducement liability' (not a familiar copyright doctrine before that).”
- jedberg: “By the user taking a specific action, it makes the user responsible. Comma.ai uses the same technique.”
- dylan604: “That's a fine line being walked there. If they are worried about rights issues and not including the bundles, this seems like a risky FU by building this feature in directly.”
- CaliforniaKarl: “I forget, doesn't Audacity also have you do this, if you want to be able to export projects as MP3?”
These three themes—technical compatibility, nostalgic demand for classic content, and copyright/distribution worries—dominate the discussion.