hopalong(6)

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

🌈 hopalong — like, the whole manual, bestie 💅

okay so quick vibe check: this is the hopalong page from the XScreenSaver manual ✨ and it's about drawing real plane fractals. yes. fractals. in your terminal-adjacent X11 life. it's giving math girl summer 🧚💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

copy this exactly, no cap:

hopalong [--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] [--jong] [--no-jong] [--jong]
[--no-sine]

[--fps]

(yes --delay microseconds is lowkey in the synopsis but doesn't get its own entry below — that's just how the page is, i don't make the rules 🫶)

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

the hop program generates real plane fractals, fr fr — as described in the September 1986 issue of Scientific American. iconic. vintage. main character energy from 1986 👑

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

hopalong accepts the following options:

  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, bestie, so like… you already have it 🌸
  • --root — draw on the root window instead. big screen vibes.
  • --window-id number — draw on the specified window. you pick, i draw 💅
  • --mono — if you're on a color display, just pretend we're on a monochrome display. delulu but make it grayscale 🙈
  • --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.
  • --ncolors integer — how many colors should be used (if possible). default 200. the colors used cycle through the hue, making N stops around the color wheel 🌈 obsessed.
  • --cycles integer — how long to run each batch. default 2500 pixels.
  • --count integer — how many pixels should be drawn before a color change. default 1000.
  • --jong integer
  • --no-jong integer — whether to use the Jong format (default is to choose randomly.)
  • --sine integer
  • --no-sine integer — whether to use the Sine format (default is to choose randomly.)
  • --fps — display the current frame rate and CPU load. numbers go brrr 📊
ngl those --jong / --sine pairs are listed as integer in the original page, so that's exactly what you get here. don't ask me, i'm just the messenger 😭

💜 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)

Copyright © 1988-91 by Patrick J. Naughton.

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. 💖 (yes this is the actual license text, keep it, it's legally iconic)

🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Patrick J. Naughton <naughton@eng.sun.com>, 23-mar-88.

ability to run standalone or with xscreensaver added by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 13-aug-92, and again on 10-May-97. two glow-ups, one legend ✨

anyway that's the whole page, you ate that 💅 mwah 🎀

X Version 11 — 6.15 (30-Mar-2026) — hopalong(6) 🌟 slay, go draw some fractals bestie 🔥
📦 where this page comes from