NAME¶
xmatrix - simulates the computer displays from the movie
SYNOPSIS¶
xmatrix [-display
host:display.screen] [-window] [-root]
[-install] [-visual
visual] [-delay
usecs] [-density
percentage] [-top | -bottom | -both] [-small | -large] [-trace] [-mode
mode] [-phone
number] [-fps]
DESCRIPTION¶
The
xmatrix program draws the 2D "digital rain" effect, as seen
on the computer monitors in the Wachowski brothers' film, "The
Matrix".
Also see
glmatrix(6x) for a 3D rendering of the similar effect that
appeared in the title sequence of the movie.
OPTIONS¶
xmatrix accepts the following options:
- -window
- Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default.
- -root
- Draw on the root window.
- -install
- Install a private colormap for the window.
- -visual visual
- Specify which visual to use. Legal values are the name of a
visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual.
- -delay usecs
- The delay between steps of the animation, in microseconds:
default 10000.
- -density percentage
- The approximate percentage of the screen that should be
filled with characters at any given time. Default 75%.
When running in a window, typing + will increase the density and
typing - will decrease it. Typing 0 will momentarily drain
the screen.
- -top | -bottom |
-both
- If -top is specified, the characters will only drop
in from the top of the screen as sliding columns of characters. If
-bottom is specified, then instead of sliding columns, the
characters will appear as columns that grow downwards and are erased from
above. If -both is specified, then a mixture of both styles will be
used. The default is -both.
When running in a window, typing [ will switch to top-mode, typing
] will switch to bottom-mode, and typing \ will switch to
both-mode.
- -small | -large
- These options specify the sizes of the characters. The
default is -large.
- -mode trace
- Start off with a representation of a phone number being
traced. When the number is finally found, display The Matrix as usual.
This is the default.
- -phone number
- The phone number to trace, if -trace is
specified.
- -mode crack
- Start off by shutting down the power grid.
- -mode binary
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, only display ones and
zeros.
- -mode hexadecimal
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display hexadecimal
digits.
- -mode dna
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display genetic code
(guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine.)
- -mode ascii
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display random ASCII
characters.
- -mode pipe
- Instead of displaying random characters, display the output
of a subprocess, as ASCII.
- -program sh-command
- The command to run to generate the text to display. This
option may be any string acceptable to /bin/sh. The program will be run at
the end of a pty or pipe, and any characters that it prints to
stdout will be placed in the feeders for xmatrix. If the program
exits, it will be launched again after xmatrix has processed all the text
it produced.
For example:
xmatrix -program 'echo Hello World'
xmatrix -ascii -program 'ps -eo comm | rev'
xmatrix -program 'od -txC -w6 /dev/random'
xmatrix -program 'cat /dev/random'
ENVIRONMENT¶
- DISPLAY
- to get the default host and display number.
- XENVIRONMENT
- to get the name of a resource file that overrides the
global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
SEE ALSO¶
glmatrix(6x),
X(1),
xscreensaver(1)
COPYRIGHT¶
Copyright © 1999-2003 by Jamie Zawinski. Permission to use, copy, modify,
distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is
hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in
all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice
appear in supporting documentation. No representations are made about the
suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is"
without express or implied warranty.
AUTHOR¶
Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 25-Apr-99.