braid(6)

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

braid(6) — XScreenSaver manual, but make it cute ✨

🎀 NAME 🎀

braid — draws random color-cycling braids around a circle. That’s the whole assignment, bestie: random braids, color-cycling, around a circle. Slay.

🌈 SYNOPSIS 🌈

braid [--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]

       [--fps]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The braid program draws random color-cycling braids around a circle. That’s it. That’s the vibe: braids, a circle, colors cycling, main character energy 💅.

✨ OPTIONS ✨

braid accepts the following options, and yes, we are going through every single one — no skipping, no cap.

  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. This is the default, so if you just let it do its thing, this is what you get 🫶.
  • --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. Iconic little identity crisis, honestly.
  • --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. Very “pick your fighter” of it.
  • --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. Color wheel field trip, fr fr 🌸.
  • --cycles integer — this page gives no description for it, bestie. Just the flag and its integer, mystery era 🕵️‍♀️.
  • --count integer — same deal: no description on this page, just --count integer. The lore is withheld 💀.
  • --fps — display the current frame rate and CPU load.

Also present in the synopsis, exactly as the page has them, but not given their own blurbs in this OPTIONS list:

  • --display host:display.screen — synopsis-only here; no separate description in this OPTIONS section.
  • --foreground color — synopsis-only here; no separate description in this OPTIONS section.
  • --background color — synopsis-only here; no separate description in this OPTIONS section.
  • --delay microseconds — synopsis-only here; no separate description in this OPTIONS section. I’m not inventing behavior, bestie 🫶.

🧚 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.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root.

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

X(1), xscreensaver(1), xlock(1). Go read the girlies too, iykyk.

Copyright © 1995 by John Neil.

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.

Legal text stays legal text — we do not mess with the license, periodt.

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

John Neil <neil@math.idbsu.edu>, 29-Aug-95.

Ability to run standalone or with xscreensaver added by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 10-May-97. Authorship ate, no notes 💜.

ok bye bestie — this manual page is from X Version 11, 6.15 (30-Mar-2026), and it’s braid(6) 🫶💅

📦 where this page comes from