grav(6)

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

🪐 grav — XScreenSaver manual 🪐

okay so bestie, picture this: it's a screensaver, but make it physics. it's grav, and it lives in the XScreenSaver manual, section 6. no cap, it's the moment. 💫

🌸 NAME 🌸

grav — draws a simple orbital simulation ✨

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

grav [--display host:display.screen] [--foreground color] [--background
color] [--window] [--root] [--window-id number][--mono] [--install]
[--visual visual] [--ncolors integer] [--delay microseconds] [--count
integer] [--decay] [--no-decay] [--trail] [--no-trail]

[--fps]

yes the [--window-id number][--mono] runs together like that, that's literally how it's written, don't come for me 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the grav program draws a simple orbital simulation. that's it. that's the whole vibe. things go around other things. orbiting. gravitational. iconic. 🌈

💖 OPTIONS 💖

grav accepts the following options (and yes, she has range):

  • --window — draws on a newly-created window. this is the default, so if you do nothing, congrats, you already did it 🫶
  • --root — draws on the root window. main character energy, takes over the whole screen 👑
  • --window-id number — draws on the specified window. you pick the window. you're in charge ✨
  • --mono — if you're on a color display, pretend we're on a monochrome display. delusion? maybe. slay? absolutely 💀
  • --install — install a private colormap for the window. treat yourself to your own personal color situation 🎀
  • --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. iykyk 🧚
  • --ncolors integer — how many colors should be used (if possible). default 64. the colors are chosen randomly, so it's giving chaos but make it pretty 🌸
  • --count integer — default 12. that's twelve objects doing their little orbit thing 🪐
  • --decay / --no-decay — whether orbits should decay. yes, these are two separate flags and yes you should read both 🔥
  • --trail / --no-trail — whether the objects should leave trails behind them (makes it look vaguely like a cloud-chamber. not me being obsessed with that detail 😭)
  • --fps — display the current frame rate and CPU load. numbers! on screen! for the data girlies 📊

quick note bestie: --delay microseconds shows up in the SYNOPSIS but has no description of its own in the OPTIONS list. it's in the synopsis, and that's all we know. don't invent lore. 🙈

🌿 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 your friends too, they're all valid 💜

Copyright © 1993 by Greg Bowering.

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.

that's the legal bit, word for word, do not skip it, i'm serious, it's literally required to be in copies 🫡

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

Greg Bowering <gb@pobox.com>, 1993.

Ability to run standalone or with xscreensaver added by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 10-May-97.

k bye bestie, go watch some tiny planets vibe 💖✨🎀🦋🌸💅🫶

X Version 11 · 6.15 (30-Mar-2026) · grav(6) — periodt, that's the footer, catch you on the next page 🍓

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