x11 Brightness & Night-Light Sliders
A small utility that brings brightness and night-light controls into one focused X11 window.
Role
Independent builder
Focus
Composing existing Linux tools into a small, immediate interface.
Outcome
A released open-source desktop utility for minimal X11 setups.
About
While setting up a minimal X11 system, I wanted something simple and accessible: a small window with sliders for screen brightness and night light.
Problem
The core capabilities already exist across the Linux ecosystem, but the controls are not always one click away on a minimal desktop. This project focuses on the small gap between “the tools exist” and “the controls feel immediate.”
Constraints
The utility is intentionally narrow: target X11, keep the window compact, and avoid rebuilding the underlying display-control tools. Small scope is a constraint here, not an omission.
Build
The utility composes existing open-source tools into one small interface. It installs what it needs, creates a launcher, and presents two controls - brightness and night light - in a focused window.
Outcome
The result is a released C utility for people running X11 who want quick access to both controls without a full desktop environment. The accompanying write-up explains the motivation and the compositional approach.
Lessons
Not every useful project needs a new subsystem. A thin layer can be the right engineering decision when it removes friction, respects the tools underneath, and stays small enough to understand end to end.