1.   By linking a screen mate to a Web server, the little cartoon character could walk around the desktop providing weather forecasts and stock quotes.

2.   Cute little animals are generally free popular screen mates.

3.   Even though the thrill of a sheep or walking citrus on your screen may quickly fade, new users discover the screen mates every day.

4.   Other widely circulated screen mates include an animated orange and a digital depiction of the Mona Lisa.

5.   Screen mates are also turning up as free offerings from commercial sites.

6.   Shannon predicts that screen mates will become more than amusing diversions.

7.   The Esheep, as the playful ovine fellow is sometimes known, is part of a genre of digital trinkets called screen mates or screen buddies.

8.   Whether for fun or profit, screen mates show no sign of going away.