Version 1.0.5 for Mac OS X 10.3 or higher - 22/03/2006
UNIVERSAL BINARY VERSION
By
Robert Bennett

Please note: NEVER link directly to the files listed below, always link to this page. These files will move due to bandwidth restrictions, but this page will always have the latest links.
Click here to download! (Just 375kb)

REGISTER NOW FOR JUST US$7.50!

Ever since I started making screensavers for Windows, I've had requests for Mac versions. So I decided to go and buy a Mac so I could make Mac OS X screensavers for you guys. Problem is, the Mac cost me a fair amount of cash. So I've made this screensaver shareware. It's only US$7.50 to register and get rid of all the nags that pop-up, and all the intro banners at the start. But more importantly, you'll help support Useless Creations, which means I'll be able to port more of my Windows screensavers to work under OS X, including my other shareware and some of the very cool FREE ones.

So register now to get the full version, help me pay for my Mac, and look forward to more cool 3D screensavers in the future!

Click here to register now!

To get to the screen saver settings go to System Preferences, then Desktop and Screen Saver, select this screensaver and slick on Options.

The following configuration options are available. (It is recommended that you play with the options to find what runs best on your Mac and what you think looks best):

Code Display Mode: Lets you select if you want the code displayed in the tradition 2D may, the mind numbingly nifty 3D way, or you can have the screen saver randomly select between the two each time it starts.
Glyph Size: Sets the size of the characters in the Matrix code. Smaller glyphs need higher line density to get the full effect which can slow things down, larger glyphs don't need such a high line density.
Line Density: Sets how many lines of data are on the screen at a time. Higher density can slow things down.
2D Shaded Lines: (2D Mode only) With this turned on the lines in 2D mode will be different shades, not all the same.
3D Code Rotations: (3D Mode only) With this enabled the angle of the code will randomly rotate around. (Like in the Matrix Reloaded trailer)
Sideways Movement: (3D Mode Only) The code moves side to side as it falls.
Move Forward/Back: (3D Mode only) The camera slowly moves backwards or forwards through the code as it falls if this is turned on.
Random Forward/Back Movement: (3D Mode only) If Move Forward/Back is enabled this will make the camera randomly move forward or backwards through the code and different speeds.
Forward/Back Speed: (3D Mode only) If Move Forward/Back is enabled this sets whether the code moves forwards or backwards and how fast it moves. If Random Forward/Back Movement is enabled this has no effect.
Fall Speed: Controls how fast the lines of code fall down the screen.
Main Code Colour: Click on the coloured box to set the colour of the normal falling code.
Highlight Colour: Click on the coloured box to set the colour of the highlighted character that leads the falling code.
Background Colour: Click on the coloured box to set the background colour. (Since the screensaver was designed to have a black background black will always look best)
Show Clock: If this is on the current time will be displayed in the middle of the screen.
12 Hour Mode Clock: For those of you who can't work out what time 17:23 is, you can now switch this on and get the time displayed in 12 hour mode.
Clock Size: Lets you set how big the clock is on screen.
Display On Primary Monitor Only: If you have more than one display attached to your Mac, you can select this to make it only display the screensaver on the main display.
Restore Default Settings: Click this to reset all the screensaver settings to what they were when you installed it.

I hadn't looked at this one in a while, and I spotted something I didn't like. It was limiting the frame rate, so I've re-written it a little. You may or may not notice a difference, but on my Mac Mini the whole thing is much smoother now. Looks cool as!

Enjoy!

Ever since I started making screensavers for Windows, I've had Mac users asking me if I can give them a Mac version to use. Unfortunately tho, you need a Mac to write stuff for the Mac (as far as I know anyway!), so it wasn't something I could do easily.

Lately tho, I was looking for a new challenge, so I decided to give in. I forked out the cash for a Mac and started to try and work out how to make Mac OS X screen savers.

And this is the result! I decided to do the Matrix one first because it's been so popular, and it's a little more simple behind the scenes than some of my other stuff. I have however cut out some of the options. I've taken out the pictures that are displayed in the code. If enough people want that option, I'll work it out and put it in a future version. Probably just as a registered version option so you can display your own pics in the code.

I've had to make this a shareware release to try and make up the cost of the Mac. It was far from free! Hopefully you guys will enjoy this enough to pay the measely US$7.50 fee to get the full version, and help me keep going with this Mac stuff. If there's enough support I'll go on and convert more of my Windows screensavers to work with Mac OS X, including the festive ones and the nifty free ones. So your registration will bring more cool stuff in the future, not just updates to this thing.

If you'd like to register, you can get the full version straight away here:

http://www.UselessCreations.com/mac/matrix/register

As I said, this is my first Mac OS X release, so there may be bugs. If you spot any, let me know! Feedback is always welcome.

If you're looking for the Windows version, it's available with all the other stuff on the website.

Enjoy!

v1.0.5 - 22nd March, 2006 - Update
Updated to be a Universal Binary so that it will now run on any Intel or PowerPC Mac running OS X 10.3 or higher.

v1.0.4 - 18th November, 2005 - Update
Made a change that should make it run a whole lot smoother on most machines.

v1.0.3 - 10th June, 2005 - Bugfix update
I forked out the cash to buy the Tiger update (I only just bought the damn Mac and I have to upgrade already??), and fixed the random crashes under 10.4 (I can't make it crash anymore on my Mac anyway).

v1.0.1 - 2nd May, 2005 - Bugfix and Minor update
The colour picking panel's weren't closing when you closed the settings. Fixed.
The clock was showing up on all screens, even if you had selected to only display on the primary screen. Should be fixed now.
I had a complaint about the clock being on all the time in the one place, so it now fades on and off.

v1.0 - 25th April, 2005 - Original Mac Release
Ported by me from my Matrix Trilogy 3D Code Screensaver for Windows.
Matrix code falls in 3D.
2D Mode also available, aswell as heaps of other options.