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Creative · Terminal

K Matrix

A terminal screensaver that drops katakana characters down your screen. Smooth 60fps rendering, six different color themes, full keyboard controls, and the kind of vibe you'd want staring at while your computer's thinking.

Year 2025
Language Python
Scroll to explore

Run it
in your
browser.

Controls
Ccycle theme
+ / -speed up / down
Spacepause
Rreverse direction
Experimental
Mcharacter mutation
Dsparse density
Xlong trails
kmatrix · Classic Green · 1.0x
Click to interact

How It Works

Changed (redrawn) Unchanged (skipped)

Differential Rendering

it's totally overkill for a screensaver but made it actually interesting to build.

Most screensavers just blast every cell on screen every single frame. KMatrix instead watches for changes and only redraws cells that actually moved or changed colors. That saves a ton of unnecessary work and makes the whole thing feel way smoother even under the hood.

~78% writes saved per frame
60fps target framerate
Next Up

What's
Coming.

Config Files

Custom config file support so you can define your own themes and tweak rendering options without touching the code.

GIF Export

Record your screensaver and export it as an animated GIF. Handy if you want to share your favorite theme combos.

Terminal Resize

The Python version has some quirks when you resize mid-run. Making the terminal version even more bulletproof.

Press C to switch

Six
Themes.

  • Classic Green
  • Ice Blue
  • Blood Red
  • Purple Haze
  • Sleek Gray
  • Ocean
having fun?