pacman(6)

📦
version 6.15 · 4 versions
, in alpine 3.24, arch rolling, nixpkgs unstable

💛 pacman(6) — the XScreenSaver manual, bestie edition 🕹️

okay so picture this: it's pacman(6), straight out of the XScreenSaver manual, and it literally simulates a game of Pac-Man on a randomly-created level. that's the whole vibe. no cap. 👑

✨ NAME ✨

pacman — simulates a game of Pac-Man on a randomly-created level. 🍒👻

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

pacman [--display host:display.screen] [--window] [--root] [--window-id
number] [--mono] [--install] [--visual visual] [--ncolors integer]
[--delay microseconds] [--size pixels] [--fps]

like, yes, that's a lot of brackets. it's giving "choose your own adventure" and honestly? we love her for it. 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Simulates a game of Pac-Man on a randomly-created level. 🟡

that's it. that's the whole description. main character energy, minimal words, maximum snacking. the level is random every time, so every run is a fresh little maze for our yellow icon to absolutely devour. ✨

🌸 OPTIONS 🌸

pacman accepts the following options — and bestie, we are going through all of them, no skipping, no "tl;dr". periodt. 📋

  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, so if you do nothing, congrats, you already picked this one. 🪟
  • --root — draw on the root window instead. your whole desktop becomes the arcade cabinet. iconic. 🖥️
  • --window-id number — draw on the specified window. you point at the window, it draws there. you're in charge. 👑
  • --mono — if you're on a color display, this makes it pretend we're on a monochrome display. delulu? maybe. serving? absolutely. 🖤🤍
  • --install — install a private colormap for the window. very "i brought my own snacks" of 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. so like, a class name or a number, and the number can be decimal or hex. both valid, no gatekeeping. 🔍
  • --ncolors integer — how many colors should be used (if possible). default is 6. six. that's the number. remember it. 🎨
  • --size integer — how big to make Pac-Man and the ghosts. 0 means "default." big ghost, little ghost, your call. 👻
  • --fps — display the current frame rate and CPU load. for the girlies who need the numbers. 📊
ngl, --delay microseconds shows up in the synopsis up there but doesn't get its own little bullet in the options list. it's in the synopsis, it's real, i'm not gonna make up what it does. iykyk. 🙈

🧚 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. yes, that whole sentence, i said what i said. 🗂️
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root. 🔑

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

X(1), xscreensaver(1).

go read those too, they're the extended universe. 🫶

Copyright © 2000 Edwin de Jong.

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 actual license text, bestie, don't paraphrase it in your own projects. keep the notice, keep the permission notice, put both in the supporting docs. free to use, free to share, just give credit. 💖

🌈 AUTHOR 🌈

Edwin de Jong <mauddib@gmx.net>. legend behaviour. 👏

and that's the page!! 🎀 brought to you by X Version 11, version 6.15, dated 30-Mar-2026 — mwah, take care of her, and go eat some dots. 🍓👻✨

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