bouboule(6)

📦
version 6.15 · 2 versions
, in alpine 3.24, arch rolling, nixpkgs unstable

🫧 bouboule(6) — the XScreenSaver manual page, group-chat edition 🫧

okay so bestie, you've found the bouboule page from the XScreenSaver manual. It's giving spinning-blob main character energy and I'm obsessed. Let's go. 💖

💖 NAME 💖

bouboule — draws spinning 3D blobs. literally that's the name and the whole vibe. ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

run it like this, bestie:

bouboule [--display host:display.screen] [--foreground color]
[--background color] [--window] [--root] [--window-id number][--mono]
[--install] [--visual visual] [--ncolors integer] [--delay microseconds]
[--cycles integer] [--count integer] [-3d]

[--fps]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The bouboule program draws spinning 3D blobs. no cap, that's the description. 3D blobs. spinning. iconic. 💅

✨ OPTIONS ✨

bouboule accepts the following options:

tiny heads-up: the synopsis also gives you --display host:display.screen, --foreground color, --background color, and --delay microseconds, but the original OPTIONS rundown doesn't give them their own blurbs. I'm keeping them exactly in the synopsis and not inventing extra facts. 🫶
  • --window — Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default. 🪟
  • --root — Draw on the root window.
  • --window-id number — Draw on the specified window.
  • --mono — If on a color display, pretend we're on a monochrome display.
  • --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.
  • --ncolors integer — How many colors should be used (if possible). Default 64. The colors used cycle through the hue, making N stops around the color wheel. 🌈
  • --cycles integer — the original just lists this one with no description, so I'm not making up lore. periodt. 💀
  • --count integer — same situation, bestie: listed, but no description in the original. I'm not inventing behaviour. 🫶
  • -3d — Do red/blue 3d separations (for 3d glasses.)
  • --fps — Display the current frame rate and CPU load.

🌈 ENVIRONMENT 🌈

the environment variables in the mix:

  • 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.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — The window ID to use with --root.

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

go peek at these:

Copyright © 1996 by Jeremie Petit.

and here's the permission paragraph, word for word, because legal text is not the place to freestyle:

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation.

💜 AUTHOR 💜

  • Jeremie Petit — <jpetit@essi.fr>, 1996. 💖
  • 3D support by Henrik Theiling — <theiling@coli-uni-sb.de>, 04-Sep-96. 🧊
  • VMS support by Jouk Jansen — <joukj@alpha.chem.uva.nl>, 01-Feb-96.
  • TrueColor support by David Bagley — <bagleyd@bigfoot.com>, 01-Feb-96.
  • Ability to run standalone or with xscreensaver added by Jamie Zawinski — <jwz@jwz.org>, 15-May-97.

mwah 💋 — this page is from X Version 11, version 6.15, dated 30-Mar-2026. bye bestie, go spin some blobs 🫶✨

📦 where this page comes from