xbill(6)

📦 version 2.1, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

👑 xbill — like, the manual page, but make it cute

okay bestie, so you found yourself in the Games Manual section, page xbill(6), and honestly? this one is a whole journey. buckle up 💖

✨ NAME ✨

xbill — save your computers from the Wingdows [TM] virus 🦠💀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

xbill [-l level] [--gui gui] [--sizesize] [-v] [-h]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

ever get the feeling that literally nothing is going right? you're a sysadmin, and someone is out here trying to destroy your computers. not to be dramatic but it's giving sabotage. the little people running around the screen are trying to infect your computers with Wingdows [TM], a virus that is cleverly designed to resemble a popular operating system. 😭 iconic behaviour honestly.

your objective is to click the mouse on them, ending their potential threat. periodt. if one of the little people reaches a computer, it will attempt to replace your operating system with the virus it carries. and then — the audacity — it will attempt to run off the screen with your vital software. 🏃💨💾

the game ends when only 1 (or 0) of your computers are being productive. that's it. that's the vibe check.

additionally, some computers are connected with network cables. when one computer on a network becomes infected, a spark will be sent down the cable, and will infect the computer on the other end when it reaches there. ⚡🫠 chain reaction, no cap.

clicking the button on one of the little people will cause it to cry out in pain and melt (id software eat your heart out!), dropping the stolen os if it is carrying one. the way that works is genuinely so satisfying bestie.

if a computer is running Wingdows or is temporarily off, the os can be dragged back to the computer (or another computer compatible with that os). to extinguish a spark, drag the bucket of water from the upper left corner onto it. 🪣💧

the status bar at the bottom tells the following:

  • Number of Bills on/off the screen
  • Number of Computers running their OS/off/Wingdows
  • Level
  • Score

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -l n — start at level n. jump straight in, no warmup, main character energy.
  • --gui gui — use a specific front end. the possible values are gtk, motif, and athena. note that some of these may not be compiled into the binary. 🙈
  • --size size — play on a field of size x size, instead of the normal 400x400. size must be larger than 400.
  • -v — print version number and exit. quick lil peek, then gone. ✨
  • -h — print help and exit. hi bestie, here's how this works. 🫶

when using the GTK gui, all standard GTK options are supported. when using the Athena or Motif GUI, all standard X Intrinsics options are supported. so yes, your fave flags still work. 🎀

💖 AUTHORS 💖

main programmer:

  • Brian Wellington <bwelling@xbill.org>

programming & graphics (v2.0 and earlier):

  • Matias Duarte <matias@hyperimage.com>

🌈 COPYING 🌈

Copyright (c) 1994-2001 Psychosoft

it's FREE! if you want to express your undying gratitude to us for bringing a small bit of meaning into your otherwise pointless existence, you could always send us e-mail. XBill is distributed under the GNU General Public License.

go play the game now! 👑

and that's the whole thing, bestie — Version 2.1, October 2001, dropping out of the Games Manual like the legend it is. now go click some little guys. you got this. 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from