this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2025
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TIL (and so should you) about: xeyes -biblicallyAccurate (dreifir.com)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by neidu3@sh.itjust.works to c/linux@lemmy.world
18 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

As far as I know, Xeyes has "always" been part of GUI oriented Linux installs, and despite using it for mouse testing from time to time for over 25 years at this point, I never read the manpage. Well, my daughter, aged five, likes to play with xeyes and I decided to check the manpage if there was something I could do to change it up a little. Well, there is.

"WTF does this switch do?" *tests* "lol, of course that's what it does..."

Note: The switch is case sensitive. I have version 1.3.0 here, not sure when this option was added.

EDIT: Lemmy won't let me embed .mp4 inline, so I edited this post into a link. I also posted it here for those with cache issues.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Now that you know xeyes, try xroach next.

xroach -roaches 100

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/app/xeyes/-/merge_requests/6

Merged 2023. Not sure which version it released in. The release notes probably mention, but I'm on my phone and I don't care enough to hunt.

[–] notarobot@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I can't access the site. I've never read the bible. Does the merge request explain why is it "accurate"?

[–] waspentalive@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It makes a hexagonal shape filled with eyes. Be not afraid.

[–] notarobot@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 days ago

That doesnt answer the question

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/biblically-accurate-angels-be-not-afraid

It's just used as a silly demo for creating custom appearances.

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 6 days ago

It doesn't, but I'm curious too.

[–] Klordok@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I didn't know about xeyes. Neat. The switch isn't recognized on 1.1.2.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

It's my go-to for whenever I need something on screen from the terminal, such as when I want to test X forwarding over SSH

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 6 points 1 week ago

Reminds me a little of my favorite ack (a grep replacement) switches. There’s a Bill the Cat one (—thpppt) one that shows Cathy (—cathy), and Admiral Ackbar (—bar)

[–] Magister@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

not in 1.2.0

Those little things, xeyes, xload, xclock, xbiff, I discovered them in 1990 in HP-UX and mwm, but we needed to edit some config file to remove the top banner, border, etc, it was fun

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

1.2.0 here too... apparently.

I've also known and used it occasionally since the 90's but have never felt the need to find out its version number until today.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to find that information for my installation. xeyes does not report its own version number like newer programs generally do, and it's not in the manual page or as a hidden string in the executable either as best as I can tell.

I eventually found it in /usr/share/docs/x11-apps/changelog.gz, which in retrospect seems obvious, but it wasn't at the time.

[–] Magister@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

man xeyes gave me the version number at the end of the page

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 3 points 6 days ago

Welp. If this keeps up I may have to talk to someone about selective blindness.

It must have been there the last time I looked, but part of me is convinced it can't have been.

I even made sure to check the headers and footers.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

No video? Please video. 🥺

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Added one in the OP

[–] kcuf@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

First thing I looked for was your prompt, well done on redacting it

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

Thank you for this! That is fantastic! 😂