The Matrix Screen Saver

In 1999, when The Matrix came out in theaters you could purchase a screen saver that emulated the visual themes of the film. The screen saver would tell you that the Matrix has you or prompt you to follow the white rabbit, just like Neo's computer told him. The trouble was that this program cost money, and that information ought to be free.

I was recently hanging out with my good friend Stephan, who, eleven years later, is still rocking his The Matrix screen saver, and it's still one of the best screen savers I've ever seen. Meticulous Software developed a freeware version that looks incredibly authentic, and that's the one that Stephan linked me to.

If you're interested in this screen saver, simply go to Meticulous Software and click on the Downloads navigation button. Download the best version of the file (as of October 16, 2010 the best version is 1.11b since 1.14 seems to be experiencing some problems) and then place the screen saver file (TheMatrix.scr) into your Windows folder. From there, you need only activate the custom screen saver via your display settings. Since this process is different for different operating systems, it is probably best to follow the instructions included in the zip file or on the web site. If you can't figure out how to install this screen saver on your computer, drop me a line with your problem and your operating system and any other pertinent information and one of the technicians at Cavemengo will be sure to help you out.

One feature that I was personally impressed by is that you can manipulate the settings to customize the screen saver. For example, you can start with The Matrix title sequence and trace program, or you can decide not to. You can display the current date and time or the date and time in the movie. You can change the trace phone number displayed. You can choose as your display name from either Neo, the name of the current computer user or any other specified name. This is the most impressive screen saver I've ever seen. It makes me both sad (because nobody uses cool screen savers anymore) and committed (to bringing back the use of 90s screen savers). Join me, friends. Download today.