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what is backslide fr?

fieldju/backslide — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2022-04-24

JavaScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

tl;dr

A GNOME Shell extension that automatically rotates your desktop wallpaper from a folder of images on a timer.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((backslide))
    What it does
      Rotates wallpapers
      Random or ordered order
      System tray controls
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      GNOME Shell
    Use cases
      Wallpaper slideshow
      Showcase photo collection
      Desktop variety
    Audience
      GNOME Linux users
      General desktop users

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Automatically cycle your desktop wallpaper through a folder of images every few minutes.

VIBE 2

Showcase a photo collection on your desktop throughout the day.

VIBE 3

Randomize or order your wallpaper rotation from the preferences window.

what's the stack?

JavaScriptGNOME Shell

how it stacks up fr

fieldju/backslidea15n/a15na15n/checkout-validation
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2022-04-242019-04-072014-09-04
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/52/52/5
Audiencegeneralgeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · easy time til it works · 5min

Manual build requires matching the correct branch to your GNOME Shell version.

in plain english

BackSlide is a small add-on for the GNOME desktop environment that automatically rotates your desktop background image on a schedule. Instead of manually changing your wallpaper, you give it a folder or list of images, and it swaps them out at regular intervals, kind of like a slideshow, but for your desktop. The extension lives in the system tray and gives you quick controls to manage it. You can set how often the background changes (the default is every 5 minutes), decide whether it picks images randomly or in order, and add or remove images from your rotation list through a simple preferences window. All the settings sync with your desktop, so your choices stick around even after you restart. People use this if they like variety in their workspace without thinking about it, or if they want to showcase a collection of photos throughout the day. It's especially useful for anyone running GNOME Shell who gets tired of looking at the same background image every time they boot up their Linux computer. Installation is straightforward through the official GNOME extensions store. For those comfortable with command-line tools, you can also build and install it manually by cloning the code, compiling a configuration file, and dropping it into the right folder. The README notes that different versions of GNOME Shell have different branches, so you may need to pick the right one for your setup. One gotcha mentioned in the troubleshooting section is that changing the background sometimes causes the system to freeze briefly on certain setups, but there's a workaround documented in the README.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Show me how to install the backslide GNOME extension from the extensions store.
prompt 2
Help me manually build and install backslide for my specific GNOME Shell version.
prompt 3
How do I configure backslide to change my wallpaper every 10 minutes instead of the default 5?
prompt 4
What's the workaround for the screen freeze issue mentioned in backslide's troubleshooting notes?

Frequently asked questions

what is backslide fr?

A GNOME Shell extension that automatically rotates your desktop wallpaper from a folder of images on a timer.

What language is backslide written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, GNOME Shell.

Is backslide actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2022-04-24).

How hard is backslide to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is backslide for?

Mainly general.

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