cmatrix

terminal-based Matrix digital rain effect

TLDR

Display the Matrix with default settings

$ cmatrix

Use bold characters for brighter display

$ cmatrix -b

Use a specific color (green, red, blue, yellow, white, magenta, cyan)

$ cmatrix -C [green]

Enable asynchronous scrolling for a more realistic effect

$ cmatrix -a

Adjust the scrolling speed (0-9, higher is faster)

$ cmatrix -s -u [2]

Display using rainbow colors

$ cmatrix -r

SYNOPSIS

cmatrix [-abBflohnsmVx] [-u update] [-C color]

cmatrix is a terminal-based program that simulates the iconic digital rain effect from the Matrix movie series. It displays scrolling green characters falling down the screen, creating a visual effect reminiscent of the film's representation of the Matrix's code.The program is primarily used for aesthetic purposes, as a screensaver, or simply for entertainment. It can be customized with various colors, speeds, and display modes to suit user preferences.

PARAMETERS

-a

Enable asynchronous scrolling mode

-b

Bold characters on

-B

All bold characters (overrides -b)

-f

Force the Linux $TERM type to be used

-l

Linux mode (uses matrix console font)

-o

Use old-style scrolling

-h

Print usage and exit

-n

No bold characters (overrides -b and -B)

-s

Screensaver mode, exits on first keystroke

-x

X window mode, exits on each keypress if run in a X terminal

-V

Print version information and exit

-u delay

Screen update delay (0-9, default 4)

-C color

Use specified color (green, red, blue, white, yellow, cyan, magenta, black)

-r

Rainbow mode

-m

Lambda mode (display lambda instead of characters)

INSTALL

sudo apt install cmatrix

sudo dnf install cmatrix

sudo pacman -S cmatrix

sudo apk add cmatrix

sudo zypper install cmatrix

brew install cmatrix

nix profile install nixpkgs#cmatrix

CAVEATS

Requires a terminal that supports ANSI escape codes and curses library. Heavy CPU usage may occur on slower systems at high speeds. The Linux console font mode (-l) only works on actual Linux consoles, not terminal emulators.

HISTORY

CMatrix was originally written by Chris Allegretta in 1999, inspired by the visual effects in the 1999 film "The Matrix." It was created as a fun terminal application for Unix-like systems and has become a popular way to add visual flair to terminal sessions. The project is open source and continues to receive updates from the community.