demon(6)

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

💜 demon(6) — the XScreenSaver manual, bestie edition 💜

okay so you opened demon(6), the manual page for demon — and honestly? she's iconic. grab a snack, we're doing this. 🍓

✨ NAME ✨

demon — a cellular automaton. that's it, that's the whole vibe. 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

demon [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
      [--root] [--window-id number] [--count number] [--cycles number]
      [--delay number] [--ncolors number] [--size number] [--fps]

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

A cellular automaton — and the way that it starts with a random field and then organizes it into stripes and spirals? literally mesmerizing, no cap. she starts chaotic and ends up all aesthetic. main character energy fr fr. 🔥

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • --visual visual — specify which visual to use. legal values are either the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual. pick your fighter. ✨
  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, so she's already doing it. 🫶
  • --root — draw on the root window. going full background-mode. 🌈
  • --window-id number — draw on the specified window. you pick, she draws.
  • --count number — states. range is 0 - 20. default: 0. 🎚️
  • --cycles number — timeout. range is 0 - 800000. default: 1000.
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, in microseconds. default: 50000 (that's 0.05 seconds.). 🕰️
  • --ncolors number — number of colors. default: 64. palette slay 💜
  • --size number — cell size. range is -20 - 20. default: -7. yes the default is negative, don't @ me, that's just what the page says 😭
  • --fps — display the current frame rate and CPU load. nerdy AND useful, we love. 👑

🌟 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.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root. iykyk 💫

🔍 SEE ALSO 🔍

X(1), xscreensaver(1) — go read those too bestie, they're the whole ecosystem. 🧚

Copyright © 2002 by David Bagley. 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.

okay real talk for a sec: that "as is" line means no warranty, express or implied — it's the standard legal speak and it's not a joke, take it seriously. 🙈

👑 AUTHOR 👑

David Bagley. legend behavior. 💖

and that's the whole page, bestie — X Version 11, 6.15 release dated 30-Mar-2026, signing off from the demon(6) manual, XScreenSaver manual gang. go make some spirals. 🌀🎀

📦 where this page comes from