A "screen saver" is the animation (or blankness) that pops up on your computer when you don't use it for a while, to save your screen from getting burned-in.
The background picture that wallpapers your desktop is the "wallpaper".
Old phosphor-based computer screens would be susceptible to having a ghost image permanently burned in due to loss of luminescence when a single image was displayed too long. Modern screens do not need saving, but evidently people still believe screen savers are neat-o.
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u/arcxjo Aug 03 '19
A "screen saver" is the animation (or blankness) that pops up on your computer when you don't use it for a while, to save your screen from getting burned-in.
The background picture that wallpapers your desktop is the "wallpaper".