compass(6)

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

💖 compass(6) 💖

okay bestie, so this is a page from the XScreenSaver manual — a whole lil' hacker classic, compass(6), and I'm gonna walk you through it like we're texting at 1am 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

compass — it draws a spinning compass. that's it. that's the whole thing. and honestly? iconic.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

compass [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
        [--root] [--window-id number] [--delay number] [--no-db] [--fps]

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so what it does is it draws a compass — like the pointy-north kind — and literally all of the elements spin around randomly at the same time, specifically to give you that ``lost and nauseous'' feeling 💀 like the vibe is disoriented sailor core and it absolutely ate.

no cap, that's the design goal. nausea. deliberately. we love a queen who knows what she wants.

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • --visual visual — tells it which visual to use. the legal values are either the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex, either one, she's flexible) of one specific visual.
  • --window — draws on a brand-new window it makes itself. this is the default, so it's main character energy by birth 🫶
  • --root — draws on the root window instead. different canvas, same chaos.
  • --window-id number — draws on the exact window you point at. you pick, it paints.
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, measured in microseconds. default: 20000 (that's 0.02 seconds, for the people doing math at home 🧮).
  • --db | --no-db — Double Buffer. it's a Boolean, so it's either on or off, no in-between, no "it's complicated."
  • --fps — shows you the current frame rate and the CPU load. performance girlies stay informed 👑

🧚 ENVIRONMENT 🧚

  • DISPLAY — used to get the default host and display number.
  • XENVIRONMENT — used to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property. iykyk.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

X(1), xscreensaver(1) — go read those next, bestie, the lore goes deep.

Copyright © 2002 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. (translation: no promises, no drama, use at your own risk fr fr 🙈)

⭐ AUTHOR ⭐

Jamie Zawinski. a legend. periodt.

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 💜 this gorgeous lil' thing came to you courtesy of X Version 11, version 6.15, dated 30-Mar-2026 — mwah, take care, go spin something 🌀💖

📦 where this page comes from