piecewise(6)

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

🌸 piecewise(6) — the XScreenSaver manual, but make it bestie-coded 🌸

okay so you opened the manual page for piecewise(6) and it’s giving “math but make it sparkle.” The XScreenSaver manual is right here, folded in near the top like a little name tag, and we’re gonna walk through every single bit together. no skipping, no cap. 💖

✨ NAME ✨

piecewise — lots of moving circles intersecting in interesting ways. periodt. That’s the whole official vibe in one line. 🌀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

bestie, here’s the summoning spell exactly as written:

piecewise [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
       [--root] [--window-id number] [--delay number] [--count number]
       [--ncolors number] [--colorspeed number] [--minradius number]
       [--maxradius number] [--no-db] [--fps]

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

This draws a bunch of moving circles which switch from visibility to invisibility when they intersect. that’s literally the plot. circles move, circles meet, circles ghost each other. iconic behavior tbh. 👻⭕

💅 OPTIONS 💅

okay, option-by-option, all of them, no leaving anyone out:

  • --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.
  • --window — Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default.
  • --root — Draw on the root window.
  • --window-id number — Draw on the specified window.
  • --delay number — Per-frame delay, in microseconds. Default: 5000 (0.01 seconds.).
  • --count number — Number of circles. Default: 32.
  • --ncolors number — Number of colors, only one of which is used at a time. Default: 256.
  • --colorspeed number — How fast the color changes (0 - 100). Default: 10.
  • --minradius number — Minimum circle radius (as a proportion of screen height). Default: 0.05.
  • --maxradius number — Maximum circle radius (as a proportion of screen height). Default: 0.2.
  • --db | --no-db — Whether to double buffer.
  • --fps — Display the current frame rate and CPU load.

see? every flag got its moment. slay. ✨

🫶 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.

environment variables really said “we’re part of the story too.” and they are. 💜

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

go look at X(1) and xscreensaver(1). that’s the required reading, bestie. 📚

Copyright © 2003 by Geoffrey Irving. 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.

yes, that’s the whole legal bit — untouched, because we do not mess with copyright text. 💀

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Geoffrey Irving.

okay bye bestie 💅 — this page comes from X Version 11, version 6.15 (30-Mar-2026), and its manual name is piecewise(6). 🎀

📦 where this page comes from