xmatrix — simulates the computer displays from the movie
Synopsis
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]Description
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.
Options
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'
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.