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Into The Ubuntu Archive Screensaver

The Into The Ubuntu Archive screensaver shows source packages as they are accepted into Ubuntu's primary archive, with version, series and pocket. The pocket is the informative part: Release is ordinary development, while Updates and Security are changes being pushed to a version people are already running today. It runs in the browser with nothing to install; press ESC to exit.

Live preview

Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.

How the Into The Ubuntu Archive screensaver works

The saver reads The Launchpad API, which publishes Ubuntu's archive activity openly.

No account and no key: the request goes straight from your browser, or from this site's own refreshed copy of the feed where the source does not allow browser access.

Values are drawn on a canvas that resizes with the window, so it works on a laptop or a wall display.

If the source is unreachable the saver says so on screen rather than showing stale numbers as though they were current.

A worked example

Each row names a source package and its version, with the pocket on the right in colour — green for Release, amber for Updates, red for Security. A red row means somebody spent their afternoon on a vulnerability that is now being pushed to every machine running that release.

Settings & tips

Frequently asked questions

What is a pocket?
It is the part of the archive an upload lands in. Release is the version as it shipped, Updates carries ongoing fixes, Security carries vulnerability fixes, and Proposed is the staging area they pass through first.
Is this every Ubuntu package?
No — it is the most recently published sources, newest first. The full archive holds tens of thousands of packages; this is the flow rather than the inventory.
Is this real data?
Yes. It comes from The Launchpad API, which publishes Ubuntu's archive activity openly. Nothing is invented or simulated, and if the source cannot be reached the saver reports that instead of drawing something plausible.
Does it cost anything or need an account?
No. Every screensaver here is free, runs in the browser and needs no sign-up. This one uses a public API that requires no key.

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