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Wallpaper (computing)
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{{Short description|Decorative background on electronic devices}} [[File:Computer monitor screen image simulated.jpg|thumb|A computer screen showing a background wallpaper photo of the [[Palace of Versailles]]]]A '''wallpaper''' or '''background''' (also known as a '''desktop background''', '''desktop picture''' or '''desktop image''' on computers) is a digital image (photo, drawing etc.) used as a decorative background of a [[graphical user interface]] on the screen of a [[computer]], [[smartphone]] or other electronic device. On a computer, wallpapers are generally used on the [[desktop metaphor|desktop]], while on a [[mobile phone]] they serve as the background for the ''home screen''. Though most devices include a default background image, modern devices usually allow users to manually change the background image. The term "[[wallpaper]]" was used in [[Microsoft Windows]] before Windows XP (In Windows XP and later, it is called the "desktop background"). Meanwhile, [[macOS]] refers to it as "desktop picture". On older systems that allowed small repeated patterns to be set as background images, the term '''desktop pattern''' was used. ==History== [[Image:original-wallpaper.png|frame|Original computer wallpaper pattern, as used in Xerox's Officetalk and [[Xerox Star|Star]]]] The [[X Window System]] was one of the earliest systems to include support for an arbitrary image as wallpaper via the xsetroot program, which at least as early as the X10R3 release in 1985 could tile the screen with any solid color or any [[binary-image]] [[X BitMap]] file. In 1989, a [[free software]] program called {{Not a typo|xgifroot}} was released that allowed an arbitrary color [[GIF]] image to be used as wallpaper, and in the same year the free xloadimage program was released which could display a variety of image formats (including color images in [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] Rasterfile format) as the desktop background. Subsequently, a number of programs were released that added wallpaper support for additional image formats and other features, such as the xpmroot program (released in 1993 as part of [[fvwm]]) and the [[xv (software)|xv]] software (released in 1994). The original Macintosh operating system only allowed a selection of 8Γ8-pixel binary-image tiled patterns; the ability to use small color patterns was added in [[Classic Mac OS#System Software 5|System 5]] in 1987.<ref>Robert R. Wiggins, "All systems go. (Software Review) (System Tools 5.0 with MultiFinder.)", ''MacUser'' (1 March 1988)</ref> [[Mac OS 8]] in 1997 was the first Macintosh version to include built-in support for using arbitrary images as desktop pictures, rather than small repeating patterns.<ref>Franklin N. Tessler, "Mac OS 8 arrives," ''Macworld'' (1 September 1997)</ref> [[Windows 3.0]] in 1990 was the first version of Microsoft Windows to feature support for wallpaper customization, and used the term "wallpaper" for this feature.<ref>Gus Venditto, "Windows 3.0 brings icons, multitasking, and ends DOS's 640k program limit," ''PC Magazine'' (1 July 1990)</ref> Although Windows 3.0 only came with 7 small patterns (2 black-and-white and 5 16-color), the user could supply other images in the [[BMP file format]] with up to [[8-bit color]] (although the system was theoretically capable of handling [[24-bit color]] images, it did so by [[dithering]] them to an 8-bit [[Palette (computing)|palette]])<ref>[[Charles Petzold]], "Working with 24-bit color bitmaps for Windows," ''PC Magazine'' (10 September 1991)</ref> to provide similar wallpaper features otherwise lacking in those systems. A wallpaper feature was added in a [[beta release]] of OS/2 2.0 in 1991.<ref>Wendy Goldman, "New version may tiop scales in IBM's favor over DOS, Windows: A look at OS/2 2.0," ''Computer Reseller News'' (24 June 1991)</ref> Due to the widespread use of [[personal computer]]s, some wallpapers have become immensely recognizable and gained iconic cultural status. ''[[Bliss (image)|Bliss]]'', the default wallpaper of Windows XP, has become the most viewed [[photograph]] of the 2000s.<ref name="St. Helena Star story">{{cite news |last = Sweeney |first = Cynthia |title = Say goodbye to 'Bliss' |newspaper = [[St. Helena Star]] |url = http://napavalleyregister.com/star/lifestyles/say-goodbye-to-bliss/article_2c485132-b504-11e3-85ef-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date = May 19, 2014 |date = March 26, 2014 |archive-date = October 24, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024191442/http://napavalleyregister.com/star/lifestyles/say-goodbye-to-bliss/article_2c485132-b504-11e3-85ef-0019bb2963f4.html |url-status = live }}</ref> ==Animated backgrounds== [[File:Wallpaper Engine on Windows 11 - Animated GIF.gif|alt=Image of a setting sun in wireframe behind a Windows 10 desktop UI|thumb|An animated wallpaper using [[Wallpaper Engine]] on [[Windows 11]]]] Animated backgrounds (sometimes referred to as ''live backgrounds'' or ''dynamic backgrounds'') refers to wallpapers which feature a moving image or a 2D / 3D scene as an operating system background rather than a static image, it may also refer to wallpapers being cycled in a playlist, often with certain transition effects. Some operating systems, such as [[Android (operating system)|Android]], provide native support for animated wallpapers. === Microsoft Windows === [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] has had several ways of implementing dynamic backgrounds over the years. For example: * [[Active Desktop]], which is included in [[Windows 95|Windows 95 OSR 2.5]] through [[Windows XP]], allows web apps to run as desktop background and deliver live contents. Animation is one of the possibilities. * [[Windows DreamScene]], only included with the [[Windows Vista editions|Ultimate]] edition of [[Windows Vista]], allows videos of any supported format (including animated [[GIF]]s) as wallpapers. * Starting with [[Windows 7]], the OS can cycle through pictures from a folder at regular intervals. While this does not support animated backgrounds, it does enable third-party software (such as [[Wallpaper Engine]]) to fill that gap. This degree of extensibility is unique to Windows. === Android === Live wallpapers have been introduced in [[Android Eclair|Android 2.0 Eclair]] to provide native support for animated wallpapers. From a technical point of view, live wallpapers are software applications that provide a moving background image and may allow for user interaction or utilize other hardware and software features within the device (accelerometer, GPS, network access, etc.).<ref>{{cite web|title=Live Wallpapers (Technical Article)|url=http://developer.android.com/resources/articles/live-wallpapers.html|work=developer.android.com|access-date=5 November 2010|archive-date=10 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110012801/http://developer.android.com/resources/articles/live-wallpapers.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> === macOS and iOS === [[macOS]] has built-in support, via the Desktop & Screen Saver panel in its [[System Preferences|System Preferences/Settings]], for cycling through a folder collection of images on a timed interval or when logging in or waking from sleep. Since [[macOS Mojave]], the user can also select a "Dynamic Desktop" that automatically updates to visually match the time of the day.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/04/macos-mojave-includes-dark-mode/|title=macOS Mojave's dark mode makes late-night computing less painful|work=Engadget|access-date=June 6, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180605225502/https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/04/macos-mojave-includes-dark-mode/|archive-date=June 5, 2018}}</ref> Additionally, macOS has the native ability to run a [[screen savers|screen saver]] on the desktop; in this configuration, the screen saver appears beneath the desktop icons in place of the system wallpaper. However, macOS does not feature a built-in interface to do this; it must be done through [[Terminal (macOS)|Terminal]] commands or various third-party applications.<ref>[http://www.macosxtips.co.uk/index_files/set-screen-saver-to-desktop-background.html Set a Screen Saver as the Desktop Background | Terminal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227070312/http://www.macosxtips.co.uk/index_files/set-screen-saver-to-desktop-background.html |date=2010-12-27 }}. Mac OS X Tips (2006-11-09). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.</ref> Dynamically animated backgrounds have also been introduced in [[iOS 7]] and later versions, however they are restricted to the ones provided by Apple. [[iOS jailbreaking|Jailbroken]] iOS devices can download other dynamic backgrounds. === Linux distributions === [[File:Wp3.jpg|thumb|A wallpaper from fractal]][[Linux distribution]]s usually provides their own original backgrounds. For example: * [[Debian]] puts many alternative backgrounds under the <code>/usr/share/backgrounds</code> directory. * [[GNOME]] 2 can be set to cycle through pictures from a folder at regular intervals, similarly to Windows 7. * [[MATE (software)|MATE]] provides various wallpapers, usually in the <code>/usr/share/backgrounds/mate</code> directory. * [[KDE]] version 4 and later provide various dynamic wallpapers, including a slideshow, and other options provided by plugins, such as fractals and Earth map. * [[Enlightenment (window manager)|Enlightenment]] v17 supports image sequences, animated and interactive desktop backgrounds in its default configuration. ==See also== * [[Wallpaper group]] ==References== {{Reflist|31em}} [[Category:Graphical user interface elements]] [[Category:Desktop environments]]
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