moire(6)

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

🌀 moire(6) — the XScreenSaver manual, but make it make sense 💅

okay bestie, listen. moire is a program from the XScreenSaver manual and it draws cool circular interference patterns. that's it. that's the whole vibe. it's giving hypnotic screensaver realness and honestly? iconic. 🎀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

moire [--display host:display.screen] [--foreground color] [--background
color] [--window] [--root] [--window-id number][--mono] [--install]
[--visual visual] [--delay seconds] [--random boolean] [--ncolors int]
[--offset int] [--fps]

no cap, that's a lot of brackets, but each one is its own little moment. let's get into it 🫶

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

The moire program draws cool circular interference patterns.

literally the entire description. short. sweet. ate. 🔥

💖 OPTIONS 💖

moire accepts the following options — and yes, we're doing all of them, bestie, no skipping:

  • --window — Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default, so if you do nothing at all, this is the energy you're getting. main character default behaviour 💅
  • --root — Draw on the root window. as in, your whole desktop background. go big or go home.
  • --window-id number — Draw on the specified window. very "I know exactly which window I want" of you. 👑
  • --mono — If on a color display, pretend we're on a monochrome display. delusion, but make it aesthetic. 🖤🤍
  • --install — Install a private colormap for the window. fancy colour business, just trust it.
  • --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. decimal or hex, she's flexible ✨
  • --delay seconds — How long to wait before starting over. Default 5 seconds. so it does its little pattern thing, waits five, and resets. periodt.
  • --random boolean — Whether to ignore the foreground/background colors, and pick them randomly instead. chaos mode: enabled 🌈 lowkey my fave.
  • --offset integer — The maximum random radius increment to use. yes that's the actual description, no I will not be elaborating further, the manpage didn't 😭
  • --ncolors integer — How many colors should be allocated in the color ramp. and here's the tea: note that this value interacts with offset. they're a package deal, iykyk 🧚
  • --fps — Display the current frame rate and CPU load. for the girls who need to know their numbers at all times 📊💀

🌼 ENVIRONMENT 🌼

the environment variables said "we're here too" and honestly respect:

  • 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. (yes, that's the whole sentence, she's dramatic and thorough 💜)
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — The window ID to use with --root.

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

go read these next, bestie, they're the supporting cast:

Copyright © 1997 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.

💀 real talk: it's "as is", no warranty, no promises — so don't come for anyone if it misbehaves. that's the deal, fr fr.

🍓 AUTHOR 🍓

Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 27-Apr-97, based on code by Michael D. Bayne <mdb@go2net.com>.

and that's the whole page, bestie 🎀 — brought to you by X Version 11, page version 6.15 (30-Mar-2026). now go stare at some circles, you've earned it 💅✨

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