[#Summary|Summary] | [Source] | [Releases] | [Screenshots] | [#Rationale|Rationale] | [Limitations] | [#Author|Author]

<a name=""></a>
<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.

<a name="Rationale"></a>
<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 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.

<a name="Features"></a>
<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)

<a name="Author"></a>
<h2>Author</h2>
Timothy Beyer: AT SYMBOL fastmail DOT SYMBOL net