i3lock
More info
- Creator
- Michael Stapelberg
- Released
- 2009
- Type
- X11 screen locker
- Source
- github.com/i3/i3lock
The screen locker from the i3 project: a solid colour or an image across the screen, a password checked through PAM, and as little else as possible.
Michael Stapelberg started from slock in 2009 and added what slock lacked: authentication through PAM instead of reading the shadow file, an optional background image, and a ring indicator showing that keystrokes are registering and whether the password was wrong. The locker grabs keyboard and pointer and covers everything with a window; if the grab fails, it refuses to start rather than pretend to lock.
Like slock, i3lock knows nothing about time or idleness. It is launched by a key binding, by xautolock or — most often today — by xss-lock, so the screen is locked before the machine goes to sleep. Its appearance spawned the fork i3lock-color, with more knobs than the original has any wish to offer.