# Install netris with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, apt Networked variant of tetris. Version 0.52 via Homebrew; verified 2026-08-01. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#netris. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:netris ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install netris ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install netris ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: games/netris/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#netris ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/netris/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install netris ``` Evidence: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: netris from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:netris - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 0.52 - **Source summary:** Networked variant of tetris - **Homepage:** - **Last updated:** 2026-08-01T14:23:39+09:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - netris (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 0.52 ## Project history and usage Netris is a C/ncurses terminal game: a free, networked falling-block game distributed by Homebrew from Debian's 0.52 source tarball. Its upstream README identifies Mark H. Weaver as the author and carries copyright years 1994-1996 and 1999, placing it in the 1990s Unix network-game lineage rather than a modern hosted-repository workflow. ### Project history The 0.52 source README describes the program as an unfinished developmental version and says it had been built and tested on GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, SunOS, Solaris, and HP-UX. That portability note explains why it survived in Unix package collections. Version 0.52 fixed a buffer overflow reported by Artur Byszko. Debian continues to carry netris as source package `netris`, and Homebrew uses Debian's `netris_0.52.orig.tar.gz` as its stable source. ### Adoption history Adoption is preservation-scale rather than mainstream. Debian lists the package in the games section and Homebrew analytics reported 68 installs over 365 days in the formula API consulted for this batch. For package managers, netris remains useful as a small, dependency-light ncurses game with network play, old Unix portability assumptions, and enough patch history to keep compiling on modern systems. ### How it is used The practical use is direct terminal play. For a two-player network game, one player runs `netris -w` to wait for a challenge and the other runs `netris -c host` to connect. The Ubuntu manpage documents options for custom ports, key remapping, robot control, random seeds, color disabling, and rules display. ### Why package nerds care Netris is package-nerd interesting because it is a compact specimen of 1990s terminal gaming: ncurses UI, direct TCP play, manual build configuration, and distro preservation. It is also a reminder that package managers preserve cultural software, not just production infrastructure: a networked clone can remain one command away decades after upstream activity fades. ### Timeline - 1994-1996, 1999: Copyright years in the upstream README for Mark H. Weaver's Netris. - 1999: README revision marker in the 0.52 source archive. - 0.52: Upstream release fixed a buffer overflow reported by Artur Byszko. - 2026: Homebrew API reported stable source from Debian's 0.52 tarball and 68 installs over 365 days. ### Related projects - Netris belongs to the family of terminal falling-block games and networked Unix games. - Debian and Ubuntu packaging now provide the most visible documentation and source distribution surfaces for package-manager users. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - netris: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/netris/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - netris - 0.52-11: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: netris from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | free, networked version of T*tris - MacPorts - netris: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: games/netris/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/netris.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/netris.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph