macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install dps8mlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 12542
Install dps8m with Homebrew, Nix
Simulator of the 36-bit GE/Honeywell/Bull 600/6000-series mainframe computers. Version 3.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#dps8m.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#dps8mnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/dp/dps8m/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Simulator of the 36-bit GE/Honeywell/Bull 600/6000-series mainframe computers
Project links
Commands and aliases
- dps8
- prt2pdf
- punutil
- tap2raw
history
Project history and usage
DPS8M is a simulator for the 36-bit GE, Honeywell, and Bull 600/6000-series mainframes, especially the DPS-8/M line descended from GE-645 hardware and associated with running Multics.
Project history
The project presents itself as the DPS8M Simulator and credits the DPS8M Development Team across 2006-2025 in its README. Its GitLab project was created in February 2019, consistent with a later public hosting home for a longer-lived simulator codebase.
Adoption history
DPS8M's adoption is primarily in retrocomputing, operating-system preservation, and Multics study rather than ordinary application development. Packaging in Homebrew and Nix gives users a repeatable way to install a simulator that would otherwise live mostly in source builds and specialist documentation.
How it is used
Users build or install the simulator, then run dps8 and companion utilities such as tape and printer conversion tools. The official documentation is aimed at end users, operators, developers, and package maintainers, covering installation, compilation, configuration, operation, and troubleshooting.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, DPS8M is interesting because it packages a historically specific mainframe simulator with multiple utilities, generated cross-reference documentation, and release-specific omnibus manuals, tying modern Unix package management to preserved 36-bit computing environments.
Timeline
- 2006: the project README's copyright range begins, indicating the long-running development team history.
- 2016: early alpha and release-candidate tags were present in the GitLab tag history.
- 2019: the GitLab project record was created.
- 2025: official documentation listed release-specific manuals for R3.0.0, R3.0.1, and R3.1.0.
Related projects
- Multics
- SIMH
- GE-645
- Honeywell 6180
- Bull DPS-8/M
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
dps8 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
prt2pdf | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
punutil | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tap2raw | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version3.1.0
manager updated2026-06-25
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:dps8m |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://dps8m.gitlab.io/ |
| Last updated | 2026-06-25T13:37:39+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
dps8m
nix profile install nixpkgs#dps8m- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Dps8m
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation