One of the first things i always do after a clean install of Ubuntu is installing the XScreenSaver and the BSOD screensaver. For some unknown reasons Ubuntu comes with only one screensaver and it’s an ugly one too. So here is my guide to remove the gnome screensaver and to install the XScreenSaver and the BSOD screensaver.
The XScreenSaver is a modular screen saver and locker for X11, containing more than 200 screen savers. And it also has the option to blank and lock the screen. The BSOD is a package that shows the popular Blue Screens of Death from several OSes including BSD, Windows, Linux, Solaris, Apple and much more.
To install XScreenSaver and the BSOD package open a terminal window (press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy+paste the following line:
sudo apt-get install xscreensaver xscreensaver-gl-extra xscreensaver-data-extra xscreensaver-screensaver-bsod
After installing the packages you need to remove the GNOME screen saver packages. To remove them copy+paste the following line in your terminal window:
sudo apt-get remove gnome-screensaver
When gnome-screensaver is removed you can start xscreensaver.
To start XScreenSaver press the SuperKey and type: xscreensaver
When xscreensaver is started you will be asked if you want to start the XScreenSaver daemon. To start XScreenSaver click on the OK button. Now all there is to do is to select the screen saver you like and change the time settings. When done changing the settings you can close XScreenSaver.
To start XScreenSaver at startup you need to create a startup rule. To open the startup applications preferences window press the SuperKey and type: startup applications. To add the rule follow these steps:
Click on the Add button
Enter a name for the rule
Enter the following command in the command field:
xscreensaver -nosplash
After entering the command line you need to fill in 2 other fields:
Fill in a name for the rule
Fill in a comment (optional)
Click on the Add button
When the fields are filled in you can click on the Close button and wait for the XScreenSaver to start 😉