xmatrix - simulates the computer displays from the movie
xmatrix [-display host:display.screen] [-window]
[-root] [-install] [-visual visual] [-delay usecs] [-density
percentage] [-top | -bottom | -both] [-small | -large] [-trace]
[-mode mode] [-phone number] [-fps]
The xmatrix program draws the 2D "digital rain"
effect, as seen on the computer monitors in the Wachowski brothers' film,
"The Matrix".
Also see glmatrix(6x) for a 3D rendering of the similar
effect that appeared in the title sequence of the movie.
xmatrix accepts the following options:
- -window
- Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default.
- -root
- Draw on the root window.
- -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.
- -delay
usecs
- The delay between steps of the animation, in microseconds: default
10000.
- -density
percentage
- The approximate percentage of the screen that should be filled with
characters at any given time. Default 75%.
When running in a window, typing + will increase the
density and typing - will decrease it. Typing 0 will
momentarily drain the screen.
- -top |
-bottom | -both
- If -top is specified, the characters will only drop in from the top
of the screen as sliding columns of characters. If -bottom is
specified, then instead of sliding columns, the characters will appear as
columns that grow downwards and are erased from above. If -both is
specified, then a mixture of both styles will be used. The default is
-both.
When running in a window, typing [ will switch to
top-mode, typing ] will switch to bottom-mode, and typing
\ will switch to both-mode.
- -small |
-large
- These options specify the sizes of the characters. The default is
-large.
- -mode trace
- Start off with a representation of a phone number being traced. When the
number is finally found, display The Matrix as usual. This is the
default.
- -phone
number
- The phone number to trace, if -trace is specified.
- -mode
crack
- Start off by shutting down the power grid.
- -mode
binary
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, only display ones and zeros.
- -mode
hexadecimal
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display hexadecimal digits.
- -mode dna
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display genetic code (guanine,
adenine, thymine, and cytosine.)
- -mode
ascii
- Instead of displaying Matrix glyphs, display random ASCII characters.
- -mode pipe
- Instead of displaying random characters, display the output of a
subprocess, as ASCII.
- -program
sh-command
- The command to run to generate the text to display. This option may be any
string acceptable to /bin/sh. The program will be run at the end of a pty
or pipe, and any characters that it prints to stdout will be placed
in the feeders for xmatrix. If the program exits, it will be launched
again after xmatrix has processed all the text it produced.
For example:
xmatrix -program 'echo Hello World'
xmatrix -ascii -program 'ps -eo comm | rev'
xmatrix -program 'od -txC -w6 /dev/random'
xmatrix -program 'cat /dev/random'
- 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.
Copyright © 1999-2018 by Jamie Zawinski. 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.
Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 25-Apr-99.