This Windows screensaver simulates the Rotating World symbol used on BBC1 from February 1985 to February 1991, commonly known by the acronym OWL (BBC One World Logo) or COW (Computer Originated World) but more formally the GE6SM/565 BBC1 Symbol Generator:
The original Rotating World symbol used hardware to generate a video output in the 625-line (PAL) TV standard but this screensaver is programmed in BBC BASIC for Windows.
To download the screensaver click on the link below (your pop-up blocker may be activated). When prompted to Run or Save the file select Save and navigate to your normal screensaver folder (this will probably be C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 on 64-bit Windows). You may also want to change the file name to something more memorable, such as 'Rotating World.scr', but remember to keep the .scr extension. You will need admin privileges to save the file to that folder.
| Download BBCOWL.scr (238 Kb) |
You should find that BBCOWL now appears in your list of screensavers, which you can find in the Display properties dialogue (for example right-click on the desktop, select Properties or Personalize and then Screen Saver). The screensaver will run under Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10; it requires DirectX to be installed. Sorry, there isn't a Mac version.
Disclaimer: This screensaver is not designed to 'save' the screen. Displaying it for long periods on a monitor prone to screen burn is not recommended. You may wish to change your Power settings to turn off the monitor after a few minutes.
