14 .TH XScreenSaver 1 "25-Oct-2001 (3.34)" "X Version 11"
16 xscreensaver - graphics hack and screen locker, launched when the user is idle
19 [\-display \fIhost:display.screen\fP] \
20 [\-timeout \fIint\fP] \
24 [\-lock\-timeout \fIint\fP] \
25 [\-visual \fIvisual\fP] \
32 [\-no\-capture\-stderr] \
37 [\-no\-mit\-extension] \
39 [\-no\-sgi\-extension] \
40 [\-xidle\-extension] \
41 [\-no\-xidle\-extension] \
42 [\-proc\-interrupts] \
43 [\-no\-proc\-interrupts] \
44 [\-xrm \fIresources\fP]
46 The \fIxscreensaver\fP program waits until the keyboard and mouse have been
47 idle for a period, and then runs a graphics demo chosen at random. It
48 turns off as soon as there is any mouse or keyboard activity.
50 This program can lock your terminal in order to prevent others from using it,
51 though its default mode of operation is merely to display pretty pictures on
52 your screen when it is not in use.
54 The benefit that this program has over the combination of the
58 programs is the ease with which new graphics hacks can be installed. You
59 don't need to recompile (or even re-run) this program to add a new display
62 For the impatient, try this:
68 .BR xscreensaver-demo (1)
69 program should pop up a dialog box that lets you experiment with the
70 xscreensaver settings and graphics modes.
75 xscreensaver has a client-server model: the \fIxscreensaver\fP program is a
76 daemon that runs in the background; it is controlled by the foreground
77 .BR xscreensaver-demo (1)
79 .BR xscreensaver-command (1)
82 The easiest way to configure \fIxscreensaver\fP is to simply run the
83 .BR xscreensaver-demo (1)
84 program, and change the settings through the GUI. The rest of this
85 manual page describes lower level ways of changing settings.
87 Options to \fIxscreensaver\fP are stored in one of two places: in
88 a \fI.xscreensaver\fP file in your home directory; or in the X resource
89 database. If the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file exists, it overrides any settings
90 in the resource database.
92 The syntax of the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file is similar to that of
93 the \fI.Xdefaults\fP file; for example, to set the \fItimeout\fP paramter
94 in the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file, you would write the following:
98 whereas, in the \fI.Xdefaults\fP file, you would write
100 xscreensaver.timeout: 5
102 If you change a setting in the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file while xscreensaver
103 is already running, it will notice this, and reload the file. (The file will
104 be reloaded the next time the screen saver needs to take some action, such as
105 blanking or unblanking the screen, or picking a new graphics mode.)
107 If you change a setting in your X resource database, or if you want
108 xscreensaver to notice your changes immediately instead of the next time
109 it wakes up, then you will need to tell the running xscreensaver process
110 to re-initialize itself, like so:
112 xscreensaver-command -restart
114 Note that if you changed the \fI.Xdefaults\fP file, you might also need to run
119 If you want to set the system-wide defaults, then make your edits to
120 the xscreensaver app-defaults file, which should have been installed
121 when xscreensaver itself was installed. The app-defaults file will
122 usually be named /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver, but different
123 systems might keep it in a different place (for example,
124 /usr/openwin/lib/app-defaults/XScreenSaver on Solaris.)
126 When settings are changed in the Preferences dialog box (see above)
127 the current settings will be written to the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file.
128 (The \fI.Xdefaults\fP file and the app-defaults file will never be
129 written by xscreensaver itself.)
132 .B timeout\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
133 The screensaver will activate (blank the screen) after the keyboard and
134 mouse have been idle for this many minutes. Default 10 minutes.
136 .B cycle\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
137 After the screensaver has been running for this many minutes, the currently
138 running graphics-hack sub-process will be killed (with \fBSIGTERM\fP), and a
139 new one started. If this is 0, then the graphics hack will never be changed:
140 only one demo will run until the screensaver is deactivated by user activity.
143 .B lock\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
144 Enable locking: before the screensaver will turn off, it will require you
145 to type the password of the logged-in user (really, the person who ran
146 xscreensaver), or the root password. (\fBNote:\fP this doesn't work if the
147 screensaver is launched by
149 because it can't know the user-id of the logged-in user. See
150 the ``\fIUsing XDM(1)\fP'' section, below.
152 .B lockTimeout\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
153 If locking is enabled, this controls the length of the ``grace period''
154 between when the screensaver activates, and when the screen becomes locked.
155 For example, if this is 5, and \fI\-timeout\fP is 10, then after 10 minutes,
156 the screen would blank. If there was user activity at 12 minutes, no password
157 would be required to un-blank the screen. But, if there was user activity
158 at 15 minutes or later (that is, \fI\-lock\-timeout\fP minutes after
159 activation) then a password would be required. The default is 0, meaning
160 that if locking is enabled, then a password will be required as soon as the
163 .B passwdTimeout\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
164 If the screen is locked, then this is how many seconds the password dialog box
165 should be left on the screen before giving up (default 30 seconds.) This
166 should not be too large: the X server is grabbed for the duration that the
167 password dialog box is up (for security purposes) and leaving the server
168 grabbed for too long can cause problems.
170 .B dpmsEnabled\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
171 Whether power management is enabled.
173 .B dpmsStandby\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
174 If power management is enabled, how long until the monitor goes solid black.
176 .B dpmsSuspend\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
177 If power management is enabled, how long until the monitor goes into
180 .B dpmsOff\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
181 If power management is enabled, how long until the monitor powers down
182 completely. Note that these settings will have no effect unless both
183 the X server and the display hardware support power management; not
184 all do. See the \fIPower Management\fP section, below, for more
187 .B visualID\fP (class \fBVisualID\fP)
188 Specify which X visual to use by default. (Note carefully that this resource
189 is called \fBvisualID\fP, not merely \fBvisual\fP; if you set the \fBvisual\fP
190 resource instead, things will malfunction in obscure ways for obscure reasons.)
192 Legal values for the \fBVisualID\fP resource are:
196 Use the screen's default visual (the visual of the root window.)
200 Use the visual which supports the most colors. Note, however, that the
201 visual with the most colors might be a TrueColor visual, which does not
202 support colormap animation. Some programs have more interesting behavior
203 when run on PseudoColor visuals than on TrueColor.
206 Use a monochrome visual, if there is one.
209 Use a grayscale or staticgray visual, if there is one and it has more than
210 one plane (that is, it's not monochrome.)
213 Use the best of the color visuals, if there are any.
216 Use the visual that is best for OpenGL programs. (OpenGL programs have
217 somewhat different requirements than other X programs.)
220 where \fIclass\fP is one of \fBStaticGray\fP, \fBStaticColor\fP,
221 \fBTrueColor\fP, \fBGrayScale\fP, \fBPseudoColor\fP, or \fBDirectColor\fP.
222 Selects the deepest visual of the given class.
225 where \fInumber\fP (decimal or hex) is interpreted as a visual id number,
228 program; in this way you can have finer control over exactly which visual
229 gets used, for example, to select a shallower one than would otherwise
234 Note that this option specifies only the \fIdefault\fP visual that will
235 be used: the visual used may be overridden on a program-by-program basis.
236 See the description of the \fBprograms\fP resource, below.
239 .B installColormap\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
240 Install a private colormap while the screensaver is active, so that the
241 graphics hacks can get as many colors as possible. This is the
242 default. (This only applies when the screen's default visual is being
243 used, since non-default visuals get their own colormaps automatically.)
244 This can also be overridden on a per-hack basis: see the discussion of
245 the \fBdefault\-n\fP name in the section about the \fBprograms\fP resource.
247 .B verbose\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
248 Whether to print diagnostics. Default false.
250 .B timestamp\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
251 Whether to print the time of day along with any other diagnostic messages.
254 .B splash\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
255 Whether to display a splash screen at startup. Default true.
257 .B splashDuration\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
258 How long the splash screen should remain visible; default 5 seconds.
260 .B helpURL\fP (class \fBURL\fP)
261 The splash screen has a \fIHelp\fP button on it. When you press it, it will
262 display the web page indicated here in your web browser.
264 .B loadURL\fP (class \fBLoadURL\fP)
265 This is the shell command used to load a URL into your web browser.
266 The default setting will load it into Netscape if it is already running,
267 otherwise, will launch a new Netscape looking at the \fIhelpURL\fP.
269 .B demoCommand\fP (class \fBDemoCommand\fP)
270 This is the shell command run when the \fIDemo\fP button on the splash window
271 is pressed. It defaults to \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP.
273 .B prefsCommand\fP (class \fBPrefsCommand\fP)
274 This is the shell command run when the \fIPrefs\fP button on the splash window
275 is pressed. It defaults to \fIxscreensaver\-demo\ \-prefs\fP.
277 .B nice\fP (class \fBNice\fP)
278 The sub-processes created by \fIxscreensaver\fP will be ``niced'' to this
279 level, so that they are given lower priority than other processes on the
280 system, and don't increase the load unnecessarily. The default is 10.
282 (Higher numbers mean lower priority; see
286 .B memoryLimit\fP (class \fBMemoryLimit\fP)
287 The sub-processes created by \fIxscreensaver\fP will not be allowed to
288 allocate more than this much memory (more accurately, this is the maximum
289 size their address space may become.) If any sub-process tries to allocate
292 will fail, and the process will likely exit (or safely crash) rather than
293 going forth and hogging memory.
295 The assumption here is that if one of the screenhacks is trying to use
296 a lot of memory, then something has gone wrong, and it's better to kill
297 that program than to overload the machine.
301 .B fade\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
302 If this is true, then when the screensaver activates, the current contents
303 of the screen will fade to black instead of simply winking out. This only
304 works on displays with writable colormaps, that is, if the screen's default
305 visual is a PseudoColor visual. A fade will also be done when
306 switching graphics hacks (when the \fIcycle\fP timer expires.)
309 .B unfade\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
310 If this is true, then when the screensaver deactivates, the original contents
311 of the screen will fade in from black instead of appearing immediately. This
312 only works on displays with writable colormaps, and if \fIfade\fP is true
313 as well. Default false.
315 .B fadeSeconds\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
316 If \fIfade\fP is true, this is how long the fade will be in
317 seconds (default 3 seconds.)
319 .B fadeTicks\fP (class \fBInteger\fP)
320 If \fIfade\fP is true, this is how many times a second the colormap will
321 be changed to effect a fade. Higher numbers yield smoother fades, but
322 may make the fades take longer than the specified \fIfadeSeconds\fP if
323 your server isn't fast enough to keep up. Default 20.
325 .B captureStderr\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
326 Whether \fIxscreensaver\fP should redirect its stdout and stderr streams to
327 the window itself. Since its nature is to take over the screen, you would not
328 normally see error messages generated by xscreensaver or the sub-programs it
329 runs; this resource will cause the output of all relevant programs to be
330 drawn on the screensaver window itself, as well as being written to the
331 controlling terminal of the screensaver driver process. Default true.
333 .B font\fP (class \fBFont\fP)
334 The font used for the stdout/stderr text, if \fBcaptureStderr\fP is true.
335 Default \fB*\-medium\-r\-*\-140\-*\-m\-*\fP (a 14 point fixed-width font.)
337 .B programs\fP (class \fBPrograms\fP)
338 The graphics hacks which \fIxscreensaver\fP runs when the user is idle.
339 The value of this resource is a string, one \fIsh\fP-syntax command per line.
340 Each line must contain exactly one command: no semicolons, no ampersands.
342 When the screensaver starts up, one of these is selected at random, and
343 run. After the \fIcycle\fP period expires, it is killed, and another
346 If a line begins with a dash (-) then that particular program is
347 disabled: it won't be selected at random (though you can still select
348 it explicitly using the
349 .BR xscreensaver\-demo (1)
352 If all programs are disabled, then the screen will just be made blank.
354 To disable a program, it's better to mark it as disabled with a dash
355 than to remove it from the list. This is because the system-wide
356 (app-defaults) and per-user (.xscreensaver) settings are merged
357 together, and if a user just \fIdeletes\fP an entry from their programs
358 list, but that entry still exists in the system-wide list, then it will
359 come back. However, if the user \fIdisables\fP it, then their setting
362 If the display has multiple screens, then a different program will be run
363 for each screen. (All screens are blanked and unblanked simultaniously.)
365 Note that you must escape the newlines; here is an example of how you
366 might set this in your \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file:
372 ico -r -faces -sleep 1 -obj ico \\n\\
373 xdaliclock -builtin2 -root \\n\\
374 xv -root -rmode 5 image.gif -quit \\n
378 Make sure your \fB$PATH\fP environment variable is set up correctly
379 \fIbefore\fP xscreensaver is launched, or it won't be able to find the
380 programs listed in the \fIprograms\fP resource.
382 To use a program as a screensaver, two things are required: that that
383 program draw on the root window (or be able to be configured to draw on
384 the root window); and that that program understand ``virtual root''
385 windows, as used by virtual window managers such as
387 (Generally, this is accomplished by just including the \fI"vroot.h"\fP
388 header file in the program's source.)
390 If there are some programs that you want to run only when using a color
391 display, and others that you want to run only when using a monochrome
392 display, you can specify that like this:
394 mono: mono-program -root \\n\\
395 color: color-program -root \\n\\
399 More generally, you can specify the kind of visual that should be used for
400 the window on which the program will be drawing. For example, if one
401 program works best if it has a colormap, but another works best if it has
402 a 24-bit visual, both can be accommodated:
404 PseudoColor: cmap-program -root \\n\\
405 TrueColor: 24bit-program -root \\n\\
409 In addition to the symbolic visual names described above (in the discussion
410 of the \fIvisualID\fP resource) one other visual name is supported in
411 the \fIprograms\fP list:
415 This is like \fBdefault\fP, but also requests the use of the default colormap,
416 instead of a private colormap. (That is, it behaves as if
417 the \fI\-no\-install\fP command-line option was specified, but only for
418 this particular hack.) This is provided because some third-party programs
419 that draw on the root window (notably:
423 make assumptions about the visual and colormap of the root window:
424 assumptions which xscreensaver can violate.
427 If you specify a particular visual for a program, and that visual does not
428 exist on the screen, then that program will not be chosen to run. This
429 means that on displays with multiple screens of different depths, you can
430 arrange for appropriate hacks to be run on each. For example, if one screen
431 is color and the other is monochrome, hacks that look good in mono can be
432 run on one, and hacks that only look good in color will show up on the other.
436 Normally you won't need to change the following resources:
439 .B pointerPollTime\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
440 When server extensions are not in use, this controls how
441 frequently \fIxscreensaver\fP checks to see if the mouse position or buttons
442 have changed. Default 5 seconds.
444 .B windowCreationTimeout\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
445 When server extensions are not in use, this controls the delay between when
446 windows are created and when \fIxscreensaver\fP selects events on them.
449 .B initialDelay\fP (class \fBTime\fP)
450 When server extensions are not in use, \fIxscreensaver\fP will wait this many
451 seconds before selecting events on existing windows, under the assumption that
452 \fIxscreensaver\fP is started during your login procedure, and the window
453 state may be in flux. Default 0. (This used to default to 30, but that was
454 back in the days when slow machines and X terminals were more common...)
456 .B sgiSaverExtension\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
457 There are a number of different X server extensions which can make
458 xscreensaver's job easier. The next few resources specify whether these
459 extensions should be utilized if they are available.
461 This resource controls whether the SGI \fBSCREEN_SAVER\fP server extension
462 will be used to decide whether the user is idle. This is the default
463 if \fIxscreensaver\fP has been compiled with support for this
464 extension (which is the default on SGI systems.). If it is available,
465 the \fBSCREEN_SAVER\fP method is faster and more reliable than what will
466 be done otherwise, so use it if you can. (This extension is only available
467 on Silicon Graphics systems, unfortunately.)
469 .B mitSaverExtension\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
470 This resource controls whether the \fBMIT\-SCREEN\-SAVER\fP server extension
471 will be used to decide whether the user is idle. However, the default for
472 this resource is \fIfalse\fP, because even if this extension is available,
473 it is flaky (and it also makes the \fBfade\fP option not work properly.)
474 Use of this extension is not recommended.
476 .B xidleExtension\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
477 This resource controls whether the \fBXIDLE\fP server extension will be
478 used to decide whether the user is idle. This is the default
479 if \fIxscreensaver\fP has been compiled with support for this extension.
480 (This extension is only available for X11R4 and X11R5 systems, unfortunately.)
482 .B procInterrupts\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
483 This resource controls whether the \fB/proc/interrupts\fP file should be
484 consulted to decide whether the user is idle. This is the default
485 if \fIxscreensaver\fP has been compiled on a system which supports this
486 mechanism (i.e., Linux systems.)
488 The benefit to doing this is that \fIxscreensaver\fP can note that the user
489 is active even when the X console is not the active one: if the user is
490 typing in another virtual console, xscreensaver will notice that and will
491 fail to activate. For example, if you're playing Quake in VGA-mode,
492 xscreensaver won't wake up in the middle of your game and start competing
495 The drawback to doing this is that perhaps you \fIreally do\fP want idleness
496 on the X console to cause the X display to lock, even if there is activity
497 on other virtual consoles. If you want that, then set this option to False.
498 (Or just lock the X console manually.)
500 The default value for this resource is True, on systems where it works.
502 .B overlayStderr\fP (class \fBBoolean\fP)
503 If \fBcaptureStderr\fP is True, and your server supports ``overlay'' visuals,
504 then the text will be written into one of the higher layers instead of into
505 the same layer as the running screenhack. Set this to False to disable
506 that (though you shouldn't need to.)
508 .B overlayTextForeground\fP (class \fBForeground\fP)
509 The foreground color used for the stdout/stderr text, if \fBcaptureStderr\fP
510 is true. Default: Yellow.
512 .B overlayTextBackground\fP (class \fBBackground\fP)
513 The background color used for the stdout/stderr text, if \fBcaptureStderr\fP
514 is true. Default: Black.
516 .B bourneShell\fP (class \fBBourneShell\fP)
517 The pathname of the shell that \fIxscreensaver\fP uses to start subprocesses.
518 This must be whatever your local variant of \fB/bin/sh\fP is: in particular,
519 it must not be \fBcsh\fP.
520 .SH COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
522 also accepts the following command line options. Except for
523 the \fI\-display\fP option, these command-line options are all
524 simply shorthand for the X resources described in
525 the \fIConfiguration\fP section, above.
527 .B \-display \fIhost:display.screen\fP
528 The X display to use. For displays with multiple screens, XScreenSaver
529 will manage all screens on the display simultaniously; the \fIscreen\fP
530 argument (the ``default'' screen) says which screen should be used for
531 dialog boxes (the password window, \fIDemo Mode\fP, etc.)
533 .B \-timeout \fIminutes\fP
534 Same as the \fItimeout\fP resource.
536 .B \-cycle \fIminutes\fP
537 Same as the \fIcycle\fP resource.
540 Same as setting the \fIlock\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
543 Same as setting the \fIlock\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
545 .B \-lock\-timeout \fIminutes\fP
546 Same as the \fIlockTimeout\fP resource.
548 .B \-visual \fIvisual\fP
549 Same as the \fIvisualID\fP resource.
552 Same as setting the \fIinstallColormap\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
555 Same as setting the \fIinstallColormap\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
558 Same as setting the \fIverbose\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
561 Same as setting the \fIverbose\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
564 Same as setting the \fItimestamp\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
567 Same as setting the \fIcaptureStderr\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
569 .B \-no\-capture\-stderr
570 Same as setting the \fIcaptureStderr\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
573 Same as setting the \fIsplash\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
576 Same as setting the \fIsplash\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
578 .B \-nice \fIinteger\fP
579 Same as the \fInice\fP resource.
582 Same as setting the \fIsgiSaverExtension\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
584 .B \-no\-sgi\-extension
585 Same as setting the \fIsgiSaverExtension\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
588 Same as setting the \fImitSaverExtension\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
590 .B \-no\-mit\-extension
591 Same as setting the \fImitSaverExtension\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
593 .B \-xidle\-extension
594 Same as setting the \fIxidleExtension\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
596 .B \-no\-xidle\-extension
597 Same as setting the \fIxidleExtension\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
599 .B \-proc\-interrupts
600 Same as setting the \fIprocInterrupts\fP resource to \fItrue\fP.
602 .B \-no\-proc\-interrupts
603 Same as setting the \fIprocInterrupts\fP resource to \fIfalse\fP.
605 .B \-xrm \fIresource-specification\fP
606 As with all other Xt programs, you can specify X resources on the command-line
607 using the \fI\-xrm\fP argument. Most of the interesting resources have
608 command-line equivalents, however.
610 When it is time to activate the screensaver, a full-screen black window is
611 created on each screen of the display. Each window is created in such a way
612 that, to any subsequently-created programs, it will appear to be a ``virtual
613 root'' window. Because of this, any program which draws on the root
614 window (and which understands virtual roots) can be used as a screensaver.
616 When the user becomes active again, the screensaver windows are unmapped, and
617 the running subprocesses are killed by sending them \fBSIGTERM\fP. This is
618 also how the subprocesses are killed when the screensaver decides that it's
619 time to run a different demo: the old one is killed and a new one is launched.
621 Before launching a subprocess, \fIxscreensaver\fP stores an appropriate value
622 for \fB$DISPLAY\fP in the environment that the child will receive. (This is
623 so that if you start \fIxscreensaver\fP with a \fI-display\fP argument, the
624 programs which \fIxscreensaver\fP launches will draw on the same display;
625 and so that the child will end up drawing on the appropriate screen of a
626 multi-headed display.)
628 When the screensaver turns off, or is killed, care is taken to restore
629 the ``real'' virtual root window if there is one. Because of this, it is
630 important that you not kill the screensaver process with \fIkill -9\fP if
631 you are running a virtual-root window manager. If you kill it with \-9,
632 you may need to restart your window manager to repair the damage. This
633 isn't an issue if you aren't running a virtual-root window manager.
635 For all the gory details, see the commentary at the top of xscreensaver.c.
637 You can control a running screensaver process by using the
638 .BR xscreensaver\-command (1)
641 Modern X servers contain support to power down the monitor after an idle
642 period. If the monitor has powered down, then \fIxscreensaver\fP will
643 notice this (after a few minutes), and will not waste CPU by drawing
644 graphics demos on a black screen. An attempt will also be made to
645 explicitly power the monitor back up as soon as user activity is detected.
647 As of version 3.28, the \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file controls the
648 configuration of your display's power management settings: if you have
651 to change your power management settings, then xscreensaver will
652 override those changes with the values specified
653 in \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP (or with its built-in defaults, if there
654 is no \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file yet.)
656 To change your power management settings, run
657 .BR xscreensaver\-demo (1)
658 and change the various timeouts through the user interface.
659 Alternately, you can edit the \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file directly.
661 If the power management section is grayed out in the
662 .BR xscreensaver\-demo (1)
663 window, then that means that your X server does not support
664 the XDPMS extension, and so control over the monitor's power state
667 If you're using a laptop, don't be surprised if changing the DPMS
668 settings has no effect: many laptops have monitor power-saving behavior
669 built in at a very low level that is invisible to Unix and X. On such
670 systems, you can typically only adjust the power-saving delays by
671 changing settings in the BIOS in some hardware-specific way.
673 You can run \fIxscreensaver\fP from your
675 session, so that the screensaver will run even when nobody is logged
678 The trick to using xscreensaver with \fIxdm\fP is this: keep in mind the
679 two very different states in which xscreensaver will be running:
682 .B 1: Nobody logged in.
684 If you're thinking of running xscreensaver from XDM at all, then it's
685 probably because you want graphics demos to be running on the console
686 when nobody is logged in there. In this case, xscreensaver will function
687 only as a screen saver, not a screen locker: it doesn't make sense
688 for xscreensaver to lock the screen, since nobody is logged in yet!
689 The only thing on the screen is the XDM login prompt.
691 .B 2: Somebody logged in.
693 Once someone has logged in through the XDM login window, the situation is
694 very different. For example: now it makes sense to lock the screen (and
695 prompt for the logged in user's password); and now xscreensaver should
696 consult that user's \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file; and so on.
699 The difference between these two states comes down to a question of,
700 which user is the \fIxscreensaver\fP process running as? For the first
701 state, it doesn't matter. If you start \fIxscreensaver\fP in the usual
702 XDM way, then xscreensaver will probably end up running as root, which
703 is fine for the first case (the ``nobody logged in'' case.)
705 However, once someone is logged in, running as root is no longer fine:
706 because xscreensaver will be consulting root's \fI.xscreensaver\fP file
707 instead of that of the logged in user, and won't be prompting for the
708 logged in user's password, and so on. (This is not a security problem,
709 it's just not what you want.)
711 So, once someone has logged in, you want xscreensaver to be running as that
712 user. The way to accomplish this is to kill the old xscreensaver process
713 and start a new one (as the new user.)
715 The simplest way to accomplish all of this is as follows:
718 .B 1: Launch xscreensaver before anyone logs in.
720 To the file \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsetup\fP, add the lines
723 xscreensaver-command -exit
726 This will run xscreensaver as root, over the XDM login window.
727 Moving the mouse will cause the screen to un-blank, and allow the user
728 to type their password at XDM to log in.
730 .B 2: Restart xscreensaver when someone logs in.
732 Near the top of the file \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession\fP, add those same lines:
734 xscreensaver-command -exit
737 When someone logs in, this will kill off the existing (root) xscreensaver
738 process, and start a new one, running as the user who has just logged in.
739 If the user's .xscreensaver file requests locking, they'll get it. They
740 will also get their own choice of timeouts, and graphics demos, and so on.
742 Alternately, each user could just put those lines in their
743 personal \fI~/.xsession\fP files.
746 Make sure you have \fB$PATH\fP set up correctly in the \fIXsetup\fP
747 and \fIXsession\fP scripts, or \fIxdm\fP won't be able to
748 find \fIxscreensaver\fP, and/or \fIxscreensaver\fP won't be able to
749 find its graphics demos.
751 (If your system does not seem to be executing the \fIXsetup\fP file, you
752 may need to configure it to do so: the traditional way to do this is
753 to make that file the value of the \fIDisplayManager*setup\fP resource
754 in the \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/xdm-config\fP file. See the man page for
758 It is safe to run \fIxscreensaver\fP as root (as \fIxdm\fP is likely to do.)
759 If run as root, \fIxscreensaver\fP changes its effective user and group ids
760 to something safe (like \fI"nobody"\fP) before connecting to the X server
761 or launching user-specified programs.
763 An unfortunate side effect of this (important) security precaution is that
764 it may conflict with cookie-based authentication.
766 If you get "connection refused" errors when running \fIxscreensaver\fP
767 from \fIxdm\fP, then this probably means that you have
769 or some other security mechanism turned on. One way around this is to
770 add \fB"xhost\ +localhost"\fP to \fIXsetup\fP, just before \fIxscreensaver\fP
773 Note that this will give access to the X server to anyone capable of logging
774 in to the local machine, so in some environments, this might not be
775 appropriate. If turning off file-system-based access control is not
776 acceptable, then running \fIxscreensaver\fP from the \fIXsetup\fP file
777 might not be possible, and xscreensaver will only work when running as
778 a normal, unprivileged user.
780 For more information on the X server's access control mechanisms, see the
788 The instructions for using \fIxscreensaver\fP with
790 are almost the same as for using
792 above. There are only two differences, really: instead
793 of editing \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsetup\fP, edit the
794 file \fI/etc/X11/gdm/Init/Default\fP; and instead of
795 editing \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession\fP, edit one or all of the
796 files in the \fI/etc/X11/gdm/Sessions/\fP directory. (Note that
797 the default session (\fI/etc/X11/gdm/Sessions/Default\fP) usually
798 simply executes \fI/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession\fP, so be careful
799 you aren't initializing xscreensaver twice.)
801 All the same caveats apply for
805 .SH USING CDE (COMMON DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT)
806 The easiest way to use \fIxscreensaver\fP on a system with CDE is to simply
807 switch off the built-in CDE screensaver, and use \fIxscreensaver\fP instead;
808 and second, to tell the front panel to run
809 .BR xscreensaver\-command (1)
810 with the \fI\-lock\fP option when the \fILock\fP icon is clicked.
812 To accomplish this involves five steps:
815 \fB1: Switch off CDE's locker\fP
816 Do this by turning off ``\fIScreen Saver and Screen Lock\fP'' in the
817 Screen section of the Style Manager.
819 \fB2: Edit sessionetc\fP
820 Edit the file \fI~/.dt/sessions/sessionetc\fP and add to it the line
824 And make sure the sessionetc file is executable.
825 This will cause \fIxscreensaver\fP to be launched when you log in.
826 (As always, make sure that xscreensaver and the graphics demos are on
827 your \fB$PATH\fP; the path needs to be set in \fI.cshrc\fP
828 and/or \fI.dtprofile\fP, not \fI.login\fP.)
830 \fB3: Create XScreenSaver.dt\fP
831 Create a file called \fI~/.dt/types/XScreenSaver.dt\fP with the following
838 EXEC_STRING xscreensaver-command -lock
843 This defines a ``lock'' command for the CDE front panel, that knows how
844 to talk to \fIxscreensaver\fP.
846 \fB4: Create Lock.fp\fP
847 Create a file called \fI~/.dt/types/Lock.fp\fP with the following
853 CONTAINER_NAME Switch
854 CONTAINER_TYPE SWITCH
858 PUSH_ACTION XScreenSaver
859 HELP_TOPIC FPOnItemLock
863 This associates the CDE front panel ``Lock'' icon with the lock command
864 we just defined in step 3.
867 Select ``\fIRestart Workspace Manager\fP'' from the popup menu to make
868 your changes take effect. If things seem not to be working, check the
869 file \fI~/.dt/errorlog\fP for error messages.
871 .SH USING HP VUE (VISUAL USER ENVIRONMENT)
872 Since CDE is a descendant of VUE, the instructions for using xscreensaver
873 under VUE are similar to the above:
876 \fB1: Switch off VUE's locker\fP
877 Open the ``\fIStyle Manager\fP'' and select ``\fIScreen\fP.''
878 Turn off ``\fIScreen Saver and Screen Lock\fP'' option.
880 \fB2: Make sure you have a Session\fP
881 Next, go to the Style Manager's, ``\fIStartup\fP'' page.
882 Click on ``\fISet Home Session\fP'' to create a session, then
883 on ``\fIReturn to Home Session\fP'' to select this session each
886 \fB3: Edit vue.session\fP
887 Edit the file \fI~/.vue/sessions/home/vue.session\fP and add to it
890 vuesmcmd -screen 0 -cmd "xscreensaver"
892 This will cause \fIxscreensaver\fP to be launched when you log in.
893 (As always, make sure that xscreensaver and the graphics demos are on
894 your \fB$PATH\fP; the path needs to be set in \fI.cshrc\fP
895 and/or \fI.profile\fP, not \fI.login\fP.)
897 \fB3: Edit vuewmrc\fP
898 Edit the file \fI~/.vue/vuewmrc\fP and add (or change) the Lock control:
904 PUSH_ACTION f.exec "xscreensaver-command -lock"
908 This associates the VUE front panel ``Lock'' icon with the xscreensaver
914 .BR xscreensaver-command (1)
915 program is a perfect candidate for something to add to your window manager's
916 popup menus. If you use
920 or (probably) any of \fItwm\fP's many descendants, you can do it like this:
923 \fB1. Create ~/.mwmrc (or ~/.twmrc or ...)\fP
924 If you don't have a \fI~/.mwmrc\fP file (or, on SGIs, a \fI~/.4Dwmrc\fP file;
925 or, with twm, a \fI~/.twmrc\fP file) then create one by making a copy of
926 the \fI/usr/lib/X11/system.mwmrc\fP
927 file (or \fI/usr/lib/X11/twm/system.twmrc\fP, and so on.)
929 \fB2. Add a menu definition.\fP
934 "Blank Screen Now" !"sleep 3; xscreensaver-command -activate"
935 "Lock Screen Now" !"sleep 3; xscreensaver-command -lock"
936 "Screen Saver Demo" !"xscreensaver-demo"
937 "Screen Saver Preferences" !"xscreensaver-demo -prefs"
938 "Reinitialize Screen Saver" !"xscreensaver-command -restart"
939 "Kill Screen Saver" !"xscreensaver-command -exit"
940 "Launch Screen Saver" !"xscreensaver &"
944 \fB3. Add the menu\fP
949 find the section of the file that says \fIMenu DefaultRootMenu\fP.
952 it will probably be \fImenu "defops"\fP. If you add a line somewhere
953 in that menu definition that reads
955 "XScreenSaver" f.menu XScreenSaver
957 then this will add an XScreenSaver sub-menu to your default root-window
958 popup menu. Alternately, you could just put the xscreensaver menu items
959 directly into the root menu.
962 For Fvwm2, the process is similar: first create a \fI~/.fvwm2rc\fP file
963 if you don't already have one, by making a copy of
964 the \fI/etc/X11/fvwm2/system.fvwm2rc\fP file. Then, add a menu definition
967 AddToMenu XScreenSaver "XScreenSaver" Title
968 + "Blank Screen Now" Exec xscreensaver-command -activate
969 + "Lock Screen Now" Exec xscreensaver-command -lock
970 + "Screen Saver Demo" Exec xscreensaver-command -demo
971 + "Screen Saver Preferences" Exec xscreensaver-command -prefs
972 + "Reinitialize Screen Saver" Exec xscreensaver-command -restart
973 + "Kill Screen Saver" Exec xscreensaver-command -exit
974 + "Launch Screen Saver" Exec xscreensaver
975 + "Run Next Demo" Exec xscreensaver-command -next
976 + "Run Previous Demo" Exec xscreensaver-command -prev
978 # To put the XScreenSaver sub-menu at the end of the root menu:
979 AddToMenu RootMenu "XScreenSaver" Popup XScreenSaver
981 The Enlightenment window manager keeps each of its menus in a separate
982 file. So, you need to create a file
983 named \fI~/.enlightenment/xscreensaver.menu\fP with the contents:
985 "XScreenSaver Commands"
986 "Blank Screen Now" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -activate"
987 "Lock Screen Now" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -lock"
988 "Screen Saver Demo" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -demo"
989 "Screen Saver Prefs" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -prefs"
990 "Reinitialize Saver" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -restart"
991 "Kill Screen Saver" NULL exec "xscreensaver-command -exit"
992 "Launch Screen Saver" NULL exec "xscreensaver"
996 "XScreenSaver" NULL menu "xscreensaver.menu"
998 to \fI~/.enlightenment/file.menu\fP to put the XScreenSaver submenu on
999 your left-button root-window menu.
1001 As you see, every window manager does this stuff gratuitously differently,
1002 just to make your life difficult. You are in a maze of twisty menu
1003 configuration languages, all alike.
1005 Bugs? There are no bugs. Ok, well, maybe. If you find one, please let
1006 me know. http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/bugs.html explains how to
1007 construct the most useful bug reports.
1010 If xscreensaver has been launched from
1012 before anyone has logged in, you will need to kill and then restart the
1013 xscreensaver daemon after you have logged in, or you will be confused by
1014 the results. (For example, locking won't work, and your \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP
1015 file will be ignored.)
1017 When you are logged in, you want the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon to be
1018 running under \fIyour\fP user id, not as root or some other user.
1020 If it has already been started by \fIxdm\fP, you can kill it by sending
1021 it the \fBexit\fP command, and then re-launching it as you, by putting
1022 something like the following in your personal X startup script:
1024 xscreensaver-command -exit
1027 The ``\fIUsing XDM(1)\fP'' section, above, goes into more detail, and explains
1028 how to configure the system to do this for all users automatically.
1030 .B Locking and root logins
1031 In order for it to be safe for xscreensaver to be launched by \fIxdm\fP,
1032 certain precautions had to be taken, among them that xscreensaver never
1033 runs as \fIroot\fP. In particular, if it is launched as root (as \fIxdm\fP
1034 is likely to do), xscreensaver will disavow its privileges, and switch
1035 itself to a safe user id (such as \fInobody\fP.)
1037 An implication of this is that if you log in as \fIroot\fP on the console,
1038 xscreensaver will refuse to lock the screen (because it can't tell
1039 the difference between \fIroot\fP being logged in on the console, and a
1040 normal user being logged in on the console but xscreensaver having been
1046 The solution to this is simple: you shouldn't be logging in on the console
1047 as \fIroot\fP in the first place! (What, are you crazy or something?)
1049 Proper Unix hygiene dictates that you should log in as yourself, and
1051 to \fIroot\fP as necessary. People who spend their day logged in
1052 as \fIroot\fP are just begging for disaster.
1055 For xscreensaver to work when launched by
1057 programs running on the local machine as user \fI"nobody"\fP must be
1058 able to connect to the X server. This means that if you want to run
1059 xscreensaver on the console while nobody is logged in, you may need
1060 to disable cookie-based access control (and allow all users who can log
1061 in to the local machine to connect to the display.)
1063 You should be sure that this is an acceptable thing to do in your
1064 environment before doing it. See the ``\fIUsing XDM(1)\fP'' section,
1065 above, for more details.
1067 If anyone has suggestions on how xscreensaver could be made to work with
1069 without first turning off \fI.Xauthority\fP-based access control, please
1073 If you get an error message at startup like ``couldn't get password
1074 of \fIuser\fP'' then this probably means that you're on a system in which
1077 library routine can only be effectively used by root. If this is the case,
1078 then \fIxscreensaver\fP must be installed as setuid to root in order for
1079 locking to work. Care has been taken to make this a safe thing to do.
1081 It also may mean that your system uses shadow passwords instead of the standard
1083 interface; in that case, you may need to change some options
1084 with \fIconfigure\fP and recompile.
1086 If you change your password after xscreensaver has been launched, it will
1087 continue using your old password to unlock the screen until xscreensaver
1088 is restarted. So, after you change your password, you'll have to do
1090 xscreensaver-command -restart
1092 to make \fIxscreensaver\fP notice.
1095 If your system uses PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules), then in order
1096 for xscreensaver to use PAM properly, PAM must be told about xscreensaver.
1097 The xscreensaver installation process should update the PAM data (on Linux,
1098 by creating the file \fI/etc/pam.d/xscreensaver\fP for you, and on Solaris,
1099 by telling you what lines to add to the \fI/etc/pam.conf\fP file.)
1101 If the PAM configuration files do not know about xscreensaver, then
1102 you \fImight\fP be in a situation where xscreensaver will refuse to ever
1105 This is a design flaw in PAM (there is no way for a client to tell the
1106 difference between PAM responding ``I have never heard of your module,''
1107 and responding, ``you typed the wrong password.'') As far as I can tell,
1108 there is no way for xscreensaver to automatically work around this, or
1109 detect the problem in advance, so if you have PAM, make sure it is
1110 configured correctly!
1112 .B Colormap lossage: TWM
1113 The \fBinstallColormap\fP option doesn't work very well with the
1115 window manager and its descendants.
1117 There is a race condition between the screensaver and this window manager,
1118 which can result in the screensaver's colormap not getting installed
1119 properly, meaning the graphics hacks will appear in essentially random
1120 colors. (If the screen goes white instead of black, this is probably why.)
1126 window managers don't have this problem. The race condition exists
1127 because X (really, ICCCM) does not provide a way for an OverrideRedirect
1128 window to have its own colormap, short of grabbing the server (which is
1129 neither a good idea, nor really possible with the current design.) What
1130 happens is that, as soon as xscreensaver installs its colormap, \fBtwm\fP
1131 responds to the resultant \fBColormapNotify\fP event by re-instaling the
1132 default colormap. Apparently, \fBtwm\fP doesn't \fIalways\fP do this; it
1133 seems to do it regularly if the screensaver is activated from a menu item,
1134 but seems to not do it if the screensaver comes on of its own volition, or
1135 is activated from another console.
1138 .B Attention, window manager authors!
1139 You should only call
1140 .BR XInstallColormap (3)
1141 in response to user events. That is, it is appropriate to install a colormap
1142 in response to \fBFocusIn\fP, \fBFocusOut\fP, \fBEnterNotify\fP,
1143 and \fBLeaveNotify\fP events; but it is not appropriate to call it in
1144 response to \fBColormapNotify\fP events. If you install colormaps in
1145 response to \fIapplication\fP actions as well as in response to \fIuser\fP
1146 actions, then you create the situation where it is impossible for
1147 override-redirect applications (such as xscreensaver) to display their
1148 windows in the proper colors.
1151 .B Colormap lossage: XV, XAnim, XEarth
1152 Some programs don't operate properly on visuals other than the default one,
1153 or with colormaps other than the default one. See the discussion of the
1154 magic "default-n" visual name in the description of the \fBprograms\fP
1155 resource in the \fIConfiguration\fP section. When programs only work with
1156 the default colormap, you need to use a syntax like this:
1158 default-n: xv -root image-1.gif -quit \\n\\
1159 default-n: xearth -nostars -wait 0 \\n\\
1161 It would also work to turn off the \fBinstallColormap\fP option altogether,
1162 but that would deny extra colors to those programs that \fIcan\fP take
1166 Although this program ``nices'' the subprocesses that it starts,
1167 graphics-intensive subprograms can still overload the machine by causing
1168 the X server process itself (which is not ``niced'') to suck a lot of
1169 cycles. Care should be taken to slow down programs intended for use as
1170 screensavers by inserting strategic calls to
1174 (or making liberal use of any \fI\-delay\fP options which the programs
1177 Note that the OpenGL-based graphics demos are real pigs on machines that
1178 don't have texture hardware.
1180 Also, an active screensaver will cause your X server to be pretty much
1181 permanently swapped in; but the same is true of any program that draws
1187 .B Latency and Responsiveness
1188 If the subprocess is drawing too quickly and the connection to the X
1189 server is a slow one (such as an X terminal running over a phone line) then
1190 the screensaver might not turn off right away when the user becomes active
1193 demo has this problem if being run in full-speed mode). This can be
1194 alleviated by inserting strategic calls to
1196 in code intended for use as a screensaver. This prevents too much graphics
1197 activity from being buffered up.
1199 .B XFree86's Magic Keystrokes
1200 The XFree86 X server traps certain magic keystrokes before client programs ever
1201 see them. Two that are of note are Ctrl+Alt+Backspace, which causes
1202 the X server to exit; and Ctrl+Alt+F\fIn\fP, which switches virtual consoles.
1203 The X server will respond to these keystrokes even if xscreensaver has the
1204 screen locked. Depending on your setup, you might consider this a problem.
1206 Unfortunately, there is no way for xscreensaver itself to override the
1207 interpretation of these keys. If you want to disable Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
1208 globally, you need to set the \fIDontZap\fP flag in
1209 your \fI/etc/X11/XF86Config\fP file. See the
1213 There is no way (as far as I can tell) to disable the VT-switching keystrokes.
1215 Some Linux systems come with a VT_LOCKSWITCH ioctl, that one could
1216 theoretically use to prevent VT-switching while the screen is locked;
1217 but unfortunately, this ioctl can only be used by root, which means
1218 that xscreensaver can't use it (since xscreensaver disavows its privileges
1219 shortly after startup, for security reasons.)
1221 Any suggestions for other solutions to this problem are welcome.
1224 Apparently there are some problems with XView programs getting confused
1225 and thinking that the screensaver window is the real root window even when
1226 the screensaver is not active: ClientMessages intended for the window manager
1227 are sent to the screensaver window instead. This could be solved by making
1228 xscreensaver forward all unrecognised ClientMessages to the real root window,
1229 but there may be other problems as well. If anyone has any insight on the
1230 cause of this problem, please let me know. (XView is an X11 toolkit that
1231 implements the (quite abominable) Sun OpenLook look-and-feel.)
1233 .B MIT Extension and Fading
1234 The \fBMIT-SCREEN-SAVER\fP extension is junk. Don't use it.
1236 When using the \fBMIT-SCREEN-SAVER\fP extension in conjunction with
1237 the \fBfade\fP option, you'll notice an unattractive flicker just before
1238 the fade begins. This is because the server maps a black window just before
1239 it tells the \fIxscreensaver\fP process to activate. The \fIxscreensaver\fP
1240 process immediately unmaps that window, but this results in a flicker. I
1241 haven't figured a way to get around this; it seems to be a fundamental
1242 property of the (mis-) design of this server extension.
1244 It sure would be nice if someone would implement the \fBSGI SCREEN_SAVER\fP
1245 extension in XFree86; it's dead simple, and works far better than the
1246 overengineered and broken \fBMIT-SCREEN-SAVER\fP extension.
1249 If you're running Irix 6.3, you might find that your monitor is powering down
1250 after an hour or two even if you've told it not to. This is fixed by SGI
1251 patches 2447 and 2537.
1253 If you're running Irix 6.5, this bug is back. I don't know a fix.
1255 .B MesaGL and Voodoo Cards
1256 If you have a 3Dfx/Voodoo card, the default settings for xscreensaver will
1257 run the GL-based graphics demos in such a way that they will not take
1258 advantage of the 3D acceleration hardware. The solution is to change
1259 the \fBprograms\fP entries for the GL hacks from this:
1265 MESA_GLX_FX=fullscreen gears \\n\\
1267 That is, make sure that \fB$MESA_GLX_FX\fP is set to \fIfullscreen\fP, and
1268 don't tell the program to draw on the root window. This may seem strange,
1269 but the setup used by Mesa and these kinds of cards \fIis\fP strange!
1271 For those who don't know, these cards work by sitting between your normal
1272 video card and the monitor, and seizing control of the monitor when it's
1273 time to do 3D. But this means that accelerated 3D only happens in full-screen
1274 mode (you can't do it in a window, and you can't see the output of 3D and 2D
1275 programs simultaniously), and that 3D will probably drive your monitor at a
1276 lower resolution, as well. It's bizarre.
1278 If you find that GL programs only work properly when run as root, and not
1279 as normal users, then the problem is that your \fI/dev/3dfx\fP file is not
1280 configured properly. Check the Linux 3Dfx FAQ.
1283 If \fIprocInterrupts\fP is on (which is the default on Linux systems) and
1284 you're using some program that toggles the state of your keyboard LEDs,
1285 xscreensaver won't work right: turning those LEDs on or off causes a
1286 keyboard interrupt, which xscreensaver will interpret as user activity.
1287 So if you're using such a program, set the \fIprocInterrupts\fP resource
1291 If you are not making use of one of the server extensions (\fBXIDLE\fP,
1292 \fBSGI SCREEN_SAVER\fP, or \fBMIT-SCREEN-SAVER\fP), then it is possible, in
1293 rare situations, for \fIxscreensaver\fP to interfere with event propagation
1294 and make another X program malfunction. For this to occur, that other
1295 application would need to \fInot\fP select \fBKeyPress\fP events on its
1296 non-leaf windows within the first 30 seconds of their existence, but then
1297 select for them later. In this case, that client \fImight\fP fail to receive
1298 those events. This isn't very likely, since programs generally select a
1299 constant set of events immediately after creating their windows and then
1300 don't change them, but this is the reason that it's a good idea to install
1301 and use one of the server extensions instead, to work around this shortcoming
1304 In all these years, I've not heard of even a single case of this happening,
1305 but it is theoretically possible, so I'm mentioning it for completeness...
1308 There need to be a lot more graphics hacks. In particular, there should be
1309 a simulation of a Lavalite (tm).
1314 to get the default host and display number, and to inform the sub-programs
1315 of the screen on which to draw.
1318 to find the sub-programs to run.
1321 for the directory in which to read and write the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file.
1324 to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources
1325 stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
1327 The latest version can always be found at
1328 http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/
1331 .BR xscreensaver\-demo (1),
1332 .BR xscreensaver\-command (1),
1333 .BR xscreensaver\-gl\-helper (1),
1354 .BR decayscreen (1),
1379 .BR interference (1),
1382 .BR kaleidescope (1),
1414 .BR slidescreen (1),
1425 .BR superquadrics (1),
1440 .BR xbouncebits (1),
1452 Copyright \(co 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
1453 by Jamie Zawinski. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell
1454 this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without
1455 fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
1456 both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting
1457 documentation. No representations are made about the suitability of this
1458 software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied
1461 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>. Written in late 1991; first posted
1462 to comp.sources.x on 13-Aug-1992.
1464 Please let me know if you find any bugs or make any improvements.
1465 .SH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1466 Thanks to Angela Goodman for the XScreenSaver logo.
1468 Thanks to the many people who have contributed graphics demos to the package.
1470 Thanks to David Wojtowicz for implementing \fIlockTimeout\fP.
1472 Thanks to Martin Kraemer for adding support for shadow passwords and
1473 locking-disabled diagnostics.
1475 Thanks to Patrick Moreau for the VMS port.
1477 Thanks to Mark Bowyer for figuring out how to hook it up to CDE.
1479 Thanks to Nat Lanza for the Kerberos support.
1481 Thanks to Bill Nottingham for the initial PAM support.
1483 And thanks to Jon A. Christopher for implementing the Athena dialog
1484 support, back in the days before Lesstif or Gtk were viable alternatives