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Install foma with Homebrew
Finite-state compiler and C library. Version 0.10.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Finite-state compiler and C library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cgflookup
- flookup
- foma
history
Project history and usage
foma is a finite-state compiler, programming language, command-line toolset, and C library for constructing finite-state automata and transducers, especially for natural language processing tasks such as morphological analysis.
Project history
The project was originally hosted on Google Code as `code.google.com/p/foma`, where its archive describes it as a finite-state compiler and C library. The archived project page records a 2015 Apache 2.0 license change and a 0.9.18 release, and the current GitHub repository identifies itself as an export from that Google Code project.
foma deliberately followed the Xerox xfst style: the archived project description says its interface is similar to xfst and that many xfst grammars compile without changes. This made it useful to linguists and NLP engineers who wanted an open implementation of familiar finite-state workflows.
Adoption history
The Google Code archive advertised pre-built binaries for Windows, Linux, and OS X and linked tutorial material from LREC 2010 and FSMNLP 2012, showing use in academic finite-state morphology and spelling-correction communities before the project moved fully to modern source hosting.
The current repository is lean but still maintained as buildable source, with CMake instructions and a WebAssembly build path that exposes a browser demo for testing foma regular expressions.
How it is used
Users run `foma` to compile finite-state descriptions, use `flookup` to apply compiled automata with lookup strategies, and link against the C API when finite-state operations need to be embedded in other tools.
Why package nerds care
foma matters to package maintainers because it is a compact, mostly C-based implementation of a specialized NLP workflow that otherwise often depends on proprietary or research-only tooling. Its xfst compatibility, lexc-oriented usage, command-line utilities, and C library make it a small but culturally important finite-state package.
Timeline
- 2009: The foma project citation describes `Foma: a finite-state compiler and library`.
- 2011: The Google Code archive records creation of the `foma` project.
- 2015: The archived project news records foma 0.9.18 and a license change to Apache 2.0.
- 2020s: The GitHub README documents CMake builds and a WebAssembly demo for browser-based regular-expression testing.
Related projects
- The project explicitly relates itself to Xerox xfst and lexc syntax, and supports import and export with Xerox, AT&T, and OpenFST-style tooling.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
cgflookup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
flookup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
foma | 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 version0.10.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:foma |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.10.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/mhulden/foma |
| Repository | https://github.com/mhulden/foma |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation