cubestack(6)

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

💖 cubestack(6) — the XScreenSaver manual, but make it make sense 💖

okay bestie, so you know how the XScreenSaver manual has a whole bunch of these little screensaver programs and honestly some of them are just... fine? well this one is iconic. it's cubestack from the XScreenSaver manual and it is literally an endless stack of unfolding translucent cubes. the way that sentence is the whole pitch. we're obsessed. 🧊✨

✨ NAME ✨

cubestack — an endless stack of unfolding, translucent cubes. that's it. that's the vibe. no cap. 💅

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

       [--root] [--window-id number] [--delay number] [--speed number]
       [--thickness number] [--opacity number] [--no-wander] [--wireframe]
       [--fps]

like, just run it, or run it with whatever flags your little heart desires. she's flexible like that. 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

An endless stack of unfolding, translucent cubes.

okay so yes, that's the entire description in the original and honestly? main character energy to describe yourself in one perfect sentence. it's giving "i don't need a paragraph, i need a mirror." go off, cubestack. 👑

🌸 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, she's bilingual 💅) of one specific visual.
  • --window — draws on a newly-created window. this one is the default, so if you don't say anything, this is what you get. lowkey the go-to. ✨
  • --root — draws on the root window instead. going full desktop-background mode. 🌈
  • --window-id number — draws on the exact window you point at. you pick, she draws. 🎯
  • --delay number — the per-frame delay, measured in microseconds. default is 30000, which is 0.03 seconds, which is giving "she's in a hurry but make it chill." ⏱️
  • --speed number — the animation speed. 2.0 means twice as fast, 0.5 means half as fast. math! we love her! 🔥
  • --thickness number — how thick the face edges are. valid range is 0.0 - 0.5, and the default is 0.13. ⭐
  • --opacity number — how see-through the cubes are. valid range is 0.01 - 1.0, and the default is 0.7. ghost mode unlocked. 👻
  • --wander | --no-wander — whether the object should wander around the screen. she's a free spirit or she's not, your call. 🦋
  • --wireframe | --no-wireframe — render in wireframe instead of solid. skeletal slay. 💀
  • --fps | --no-fps — whether to show a frames-per-second display at the bottom of the screen. numbers! at the bottom! of your screen! 😭

💜 ENVIRONMENT 💜

  • DISPLAY — used to get the default host and display number. the classic. iykyk.
  • XENVIRONMENT — used to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property. yes that's a lot of words, yes it's exactly what the original says, no we are not skipping it. 🙈
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root. 🪟

🍓 SEE ALSO 🍓

X(1), xscreensaver(1)

go read them, bestie. they're the supporting cast. 🫶

Copyright © 2016 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.

fr fr read that one carefully — "as is" means "as is," no warranty, don't come for her if something breaks. 💀

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Jamie Zawinski.

the legend herself. we stan. 🌟

🎀 cute sign-off 🎀

this has been cubestack(6) from the XScreenSaver manual, brought to you by X Version 11, version 6.15, dated 30-Mar-2026. go stack some cubes, bestie — they're translucent, they're unfolding, and they're endless. periodt. 💖✨🧚

📦 where this page comes from