Install openmsx with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository

Commands and aliases

• openmsx

Project history

The project developed as a long-running emulator with HTML manuals, release notes, and machine-description data distributed alongside the source. Its user manual describes a novel emulation model intended to approach near-perfect emulation, while the setup guide explains that real MSX machine definitions and extensions are described by XML configuration files.

The project history shows several infrastructure moves. The homepage records a move to Subversion on 2006-09-17, a move to Git on 2013-04-23 after about six and a half years on Subversion, and a 2015 move of code and tickets from SourceForge to GitHub after 14 years on SourceForge.

Adoption history

openMSX is adopted by retro-computing users who need detailed MSX hardware behavior, by MSX developers who test software against specific machine and extension combinations, and by preservation users who care about disk formats, timing, ROM checksums, and hardware models.

The project expanded beyond core MSX machines over time. Release notes and project documentation describe support for MSX turboR, MSX-MUSIC, GFX9000, Pioneer Palcom LaserDisc setups, Spectravideo SVI-318/SVI-328, ColecoVision, and Sega SG-1000.

How it is used

Users run openmsx directly, select or define an emulated machine, and provide legally obtained system ROMs when emulating real hardware. The setup guide explains that openMSX uses file pools and SHA-1 checksums to find required system ROMs, and that C-BIOS is bundled for default cartridge-oriented MSX use.

Developers and advanced users use Tcl scripting, debugging, reverse support, video/audio recording, trainers, and machine XML files to inspect software behavior. Version 20.0, released on 2024-09-22, integrated a new graphical interface and faster debugger into openMSX itself, replacing most separate Catapult and debugger workflows.

Why package nerds care

openMSX is interesting packaging because the executable is only part of the product. The package also carries data files describing machines and extensions, C-BIOS integration, manuals, release-history files, and runtime expectations around OpenGL/SDL and user-owned ROM pools.

Timeline

• 2006-09-17: the project moved the main source tree to Subversion.
• 2013-04-23: openMSX moved all projects to Git after about six and a half years on Subversion.
• 2015-06-25: openMSX announced the move of code and tickets from SourceForge to GitHub and the web site to private hosting.
• 2020-08-25: openMSX 16.0 migrated to SDL2 and Tcl 8.6 and changed to a simpler versioning scheme.
• 2024-09-22: openMSX 20.0 integrated the new GUI and debugger into the emulator.
• 2025-09-26: openMSX 21.0 added the setups concept and improved the new GUI.

Related projects

• C-BIOS provides a freely distributable MSX-compatible BIOS used by default configurations. Catapult was the separate GUI companion and became deprecated after the built-in GUI. openMSX Debugger was a separate debugger that became largely superseded by the integrated debugger.

Sources

• https://github.com/openMSX/openMSX
• https://github.com/openMSX/openMSX/blob/master/doc/release-history.txt
• https://openmsx.org/
• https://openmsx.org/manual/setup.html
• https://openmsx.org/manual/user.html
• https://sourceforge.net/projects/openmsx/