D 2012-03-16T22:11:42.807
L metalock
P b0c65e14aec100050ea3a97edad6cef6a32ae021
U beyert
W 3068
[#Summary|Summary] | [Source] | [Releases] | [Screenshots] | [#Rationale|Rationale] | [Limitations] | [#Author|Author]
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<h2>Summary</h2>
<I>Metalock</I> is an enhanced screen locker for the X11 windowing system.
It is best described as similar to the program <I>slock,</I> (and in fact, it is based on it) except that it has background image support, and several other features.
It is designed to be used with a background screen daemon, such as <I>xidle.</I>
It is written in C, and is distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
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<h2>Rationale</h2>
Why write another screen locker, when <I>xscreensaver</I> already exists? I don't like the lock dialog in that program! (I don't like flat colors/like images, and there were some missing features in that program) Additionally, it is a very large program with complex code.
I have been frustrated with the visual limitations of the <I>xscreensaver</I> lock dialog for over a decade, in fact. I simply decided one weekend in early 2012 to address the problem, and it turned out to be trivial to write a similar program starting from the very simple and didactic code of <I>slock</I>. Such is the world of open source / free software, where many issues are resolved immediately, but there is always something that never gets fixed, no matter how many users dislike the status quo.
The author of <I>xscreensaver</I> presents a <a href="http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/toolkits.html">compelling argument</a> which emphasizes his priority of security/reliability over toolkit support. I agree with the vast majority of what he says, except that I disagree on the importance of the lock dialog appearance. Since it is something that I see fairly often, I would like to have a lock dialog that is visually pleasing.
I believe that with a little work, <I>metalock</I> can be brought to that standard of reliability without being hideously ugly. <I>Metalock</I> is a very small program, and is unlikely to get particularly large in the near future.
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<h2>Features</h2>
Current features include:
* Support for pixmap (image) xpm background and login box.
* It gives visual feedback as you type the password (Shows username and * for each character of password typed.)
* Bind arbitrary commands to key combinations (allows tasks such as
pause/un-pause music without unlocking the screen)
* Optional XFT support for anti-aliased fonts. (This is optional in case greater security is desired)
* Optional Imlib2 support for use of png or jpg formats, which are more appropriate for photos or high-color images than xpm.
In the future, there will also be an accompanying daemon called <I>metaidle,</I> (similar to <I>xidle</I>, except with more features) to match some of the features available in <I>xscreensaver</I> which <I>metalock</I> does not address. (such as support for the heartbeat command, DPMS support, and other features)
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<h2>Author</h2>
Timothy Beyer: beyert AT SYMBOL fastmail DOT SYMBOL net
Z 37559202aa94f8b7b21ef7b8ffb5c988