If you've been using Windows for a while, you'll likely remember a time when screensavers were a thing. And if you remember when screensavers were a thing, you'll know that Windows had some killer 3D screensavers back in the day. From a 3D maze that always solves itself (ever noticed that it just turns left all the time until it wins?) to some floating 3D text that could say anything you like, it almost makes you wish they made a big comeback. As it turns out, the original plan only allowed one of these screensavers to make the cut, but one person's decision saved them all from the digital landfill.

Microsoft shares how the best Windows screensavers came to be

In a post on Microsoft DevBlogs, Raymond Chen shares how the company came to create the iconic screensavers that defined an era. As it turns out, Raymond Chen knew the person who produced the 3D Pipes screensaver, and they shared the story about how they came to be - and how they very almost didn't.

The screensaver came to be when Microsoft was working on releasing Windows NT 3.5. One key feature was that the operating system supported OpenGL, which was still a pretty new tech. He wanted to show off this new tech without adding a feature that could potentially ruin the operating system's stability, and he settled on designing a screensaver that took advantage of its 3D capabilities. If it ended up causing issues with people's PCs, they could just disable it.

As such, he held a contest for the Windows OpenGL team. People were to submit their screensavers that used OpenGL, and the one that got the most votes would make it into Windows NT. The entries included 3D Text, 3D Maze, 3D Flying Objects, and the aforementioned 3D Pipes - all of which would eventually become classic additions to the operating system.

Unfortunately, the contest stated that only one screensaver would see use, while the rest would presumably be shoved into a box and forgotten about. However, during the voting stage, the screensavers caught the eye of someone from the marketing team. They loved each one so much, that they sent a single email that cemented each screensaver into Windows history: “You can call off the vote. We’re adding all of them to the product!”

If it weren't for that email, who knows which screensaver would have made it in, leaving the rest in the dust? Personally, my money is on 3D Maze, but it seems Pipes has a lot more love online. If you share that sentiment, Microsoft also shared this online 3D Pipes recreation where you can move the camera around the scene - something my kid self always wished he could do.