Wallpaper

For some time now, the term “wallpaper” has been used not only for walls, but also for computers and mobile devices. What was once used to decorate the interiors of homes and offices, now provides a background for computer and cell-phone screens. The term wallpaper is typically used by Windows users and is interchangeable with “desktop picture,” which is used by Mac.

The concept of wallpaper remains the same regardless of the surface it covers. For computer wallpaper, its existence dates back to the mid-1970s when Xerox developed an experimental version in Officetalk. The purpose was to provide a distinguishable background from the “windows” in which the application was being used. Done prior to color screens, the background was simply a shade of gray. When the company developed Xerox Star – marketed commercially to graphic designers and type-setters – the same method was applied.

Apple, researching at the time with Xerox (at PARC on the Alto) also experimented with a background for their early computer projects Lisa and Macintosh. The difference was that unlike the Xerox machines, Apple produced non-interlaced screens. This made it possible to use a simple 2x2 repeating pattern to create the contrast between background and window. These would be the precursors to the computer wallpapers we know today.

When color monitors for personal computers were introduced, the range of “wallpaper” grew infinite. Single-color backgrounds was the first step. Then came the ability to post an image, which let loose creativity from professional graphic designers and even casual computer users. From 3D to abstract to the family’s summer vacation, a computer’s wallpaper can say a lot about the person who uses it.

Images for wallpaper are usually processed as raster graphics or bitmaps, and are usually the size of the screen’s resolution in order to fill it completely. However, most screens are proportional, so an image can be scaled. There’s also the “stretch” function which can resize an image to fit the screen. In these cases, some quality may be lost. Other options include “center,” which surrounds a smaller image by a background color, and a “tile” effect that can create a wallpaper pattern.

As for cell phone wallpaper, it serves the same purpose as the computer version. It allows the user to design the screen’s background. All computers and phones today come with packaged wallpapers to choose from, but designer choices are available, as is the option to create your own. This is more so for computers than cell phones. But with cell phones, you can always shop for themes or use your camera (standard for most phones today) to take a photo and set as the wallpaper.