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nsxiv/nsxiv

Free

Read-only mirror of Neo Simple X Image Viewer

FreeFree tier
Type
Open Source
Visit Website GitHub (38 stars)

About nsxiv/nsxiv

nsxiv (Neo Simple X Image Viewer) is a free and open-source image viewer for X11, forked from the now-unmaintained sxiv. It aims to be a drop-in replacement, preserving sxiv's interface while adding simple, sensible features. Users can zoom, pan, rotate images, view animated/multi-frame images, and browse thumbnails in a grid. The viewer supports thumbnail caching for fast reloading, automatic refresh of modified images, customizable keyboard and mouse mappings via config.h, scriptability through a key-handler, and displays image information in the status bar. It is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later and is designed to be easy to modify and customize.

Key Features

Basic image operations: zoom, pan, rotate
Support for animated/multi-frame images
Thumbnail mode with grid of selectable previews
Thumbnail caching for fast re-loading
Auto-refresh of modified images
Customizable keyboard and mouse mappings via config.h
Scriptability via key-handler
Display image information in status bar (image-info, thumb-info)
Customizable window title via win-title

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Free and open-source (GPL-2.0-or-later)
  • Drop-in replacement for the widely-used sxiv
  • Highly customizable through config.h and key-handler scripts
  • Lightweight and easy to modify
  • Thumbnail caching speeds up repeated browsing
  • Auto-refresh feature useful for live image updates
  • Supports animated and multi-frame images
Cons
  • X11 dependency limits use to Unix-like systems only
  • No built-in image editing capabilities
  • Requires manual build and installation on many distributions
  • Optional dependencies (inotify, libXft, libexif) require separate setup

Best For

Viewing and navigating images in a directoryManaging photo collections with thumbnail previewsCustomizing image viewer behavior for power usersAutomating image viewing tasks via key-handler scripts

FAQ

What is nsxiv?
nsxiv is a fork of the now-unmaintained sxiv, aiming to be a drop-in replacement with additional simple features. It is a free and open-source image viewer for X11.
How does nsxiv differ from sxiv?
nsxiv maintains the same interface as sxiv but adds sensible features such as thumbnail caching, auto-refresh of modified images, and extended customization options. It is intended as a mostly drop-in replacement.
What are the dependencies to build nsxiv?
The required dependencies are X11 and Imlib2 (version 1.11+ with X11 support). Optional dependencies include inotify (for auto-reloading), libXft/freetype2/fontconfig (for status bar), and libexif (for auto-orientation and EXIF thumbnails).
How do I install nsxiv?
After cloning the repository, run `make` to build, then `sudo make install` to install. Optional components can be installed with `make install-desktop`, `make install-icon`, or `make install-all`.