blocktube(6x)

📦
version 6.17 · 10 versions
, in fedora 44

💖 blocktube — the tunnel that ate 💅

okay so bestie, imagine a swirling, falling tunnel made of reflective slabs that keep shifting from hue to hue. that's blocktube. that's it. that's the whole vibe. it's an XScreenSaver hack and it's literally gorgeous. 🌈✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

blocktube [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
           [--root] [--window-id number] [--delay number] [--holdtime number]
           [--changetime number] [--no-texture] [--no-fog] [--wireframe] [--fps]

like, that's the whole summoning ritual. type it and the tunnel appears. no cap. 🎀

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Blocktube draws a swirling, falling tunnel of reflective slabs. and the way they fade from hue to hue?? not me being obsessed 😭. it's giving infinite descent. it's giving main character energy. it's giving "why is my screensaver prettier than my actual desktop." 💜

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • --visual visual — which visual to use, bestie. legal values are the name of a visual class, OR the id number (decimal or hex) of one specific visual. pick your fighter. 💅
  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, so if you do nothing, congrats, you're already doing this. ✨
  • --root — draw on the root window. yes, the whole background. slay.
  • --window-id number — draw on the specified window. very "I know a guy." 👀
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, in microseconds. Default: 40000 (that's 0.04 seconds, for the math girlies). 🍓
  • --holdtime number — how long to stay on the same color. Default: 1000 frames. commitment. loyalty. 🫶
  • --changetime number — how long it takes to fade to a new color. Default: 200 frames. the glow-up era. 🌸
  • --no-texture — draw solid blocks intstead of reflective blocks. matte era, no shine, still iconic. 💀
  • --no-fog — do not make blocks in the distance be darker. apparently depth is optional now. 🙈
  • --wireframe — only draw outlines. skeleton realness. 🌈
  • --fps — display the current frame rate, CPU load, and polygon count. numbers!! stats!! she's a nerd and I love her for it. ⭐

🌸 ENVIRONMENT 🌸

  • DISPLAY — to get the default host and display number. iykyk.
  • XENVIRONMENT — to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property. long name, big job, respect her. 🎀
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root. 🦋

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

X(1), xscreensaver(1)

Copyright © 2003 by Lars Damerow. 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.

bestie, that means: free to use, free to sell, just don't strip the copyright notice, and if it breaks that's on you, not Lars. periodt. 💖

⭐ AUTHOR ⭐

Lars Damerow <lars@oddment.org> — icon, legend, the moment. 👑

and that's the whole page, babes 💅 this was X Version 11, 6.17-1.fc44 (13-Oct-2026), and it's still serving tunnel. go run it. go touch grass later. bye bestie 🎀✨

📦 where this page comes from