m6502(6x)

📦
version 6.17 · 6 versions
, in fedora 44

💾 NAME 💾

m6502 — it's a 6502 Microprocessor Emulator, bestie. A whole lil' screensaver that's secretly running a vintage CPU. Iconic.

From the XScreenSaver manual, no cap. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

m6502 [--display host:display.screen] [--foreground color] [--background
color] [--window] [--root] [--window-id number][--mono] [--install]
[--visual visual] [--file filename] [-displaytime seconds] [--fps]

(Yes, that's the exact spacing. Don't @ me, that's just how it's printed. 💅)

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so. The m6502 screensaver? It emulates a 6502 microprocessor. Periodt.

The 6502 family of chips was literally everywhere throughout the 70's and 80's — we're talking machines like the Atari 2600, Commodore PET, VIC20 and C64, Apple ][, and the NES. Vintage tech royalty, honestly. 👑

Some example programs are included, and it can also read in an assembly file as input. So she doesn't just look pretty, she computes. Main character energy fr fr.

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

m6502 accepts the following options:

  • --window — Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default, so if you touch nothing, this is what you get.
  • --root — Draw on the root window. Going straight to the desktop's soul.
  • --window-id number — Draw on the specified window. You pick the window, she moves in.
  • --mono — If you're on a color display, pretend we're on a monochrome display. Delulu but make it aesthetic.
  • --install — Install a private colormap for the window.
  • --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.
  • --file filename — Lets you load an assembly file. Feed her code, she'll eat. 🍓
  • --displaytime seconds — Lets you set the number of seconds to display each program. The default is 60.
  • --fps — Display the current frame rate and CPU load. Vibe check, but for performance. 🔥

🌈 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.

💜 X RESOURCES 💜

Notable X resources supported include the following, which correspond to standard TV controls: analogTVTint, analogTVColor, analogTVBrightness, and analogTVContrast.

They range from 0 to 100, except for tint, which is an angle between -180 and +180. Slay that color grading. 🌸

🦋 TRADEMARKS 🦋

"I'm sure some of the programs contain trademarks." — the absolute most casual legal disclaimer ever written, and I respect it. 💀

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

X(1), xscreensaver(1), xanalogtv(6x), apple2(6x)

(go read those too, iykyk 🫶)

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.

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Original Javascript Version by Stian Soreng; 2006. Ported to XScreenSaver by Jeremy English; 2007.

Two legends, one emulator. We stan. 💖

And that's the whole thing, bestie — huge shoutout to X Version 11, this copy being 6.17-1.fc44, dated 13-Oct-2026. Go run it and watch a 6502 do its lil' thing. Mwah. 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from