macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install aldolocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install aldo with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper
Morse code learning tool released under GPL. Version 0.7.7 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install aldoDebian stable package indexes · aldo · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install aldoFedora Rawhide package metadata · aldo · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#aldonixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/al/aldo/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install aldoopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · aldo · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Morse code learning tool released under GPL
Project links
Commands and aliases
- aldo
history
Project history and usage
Aldo is a small console Morse-code trainer written in ISO C++. It belongs to the long-lived class of ham-radio and learning tools that survive in package managers because they do one offline task with minimal ceremony.
Project history
The official Savannah source dates Aldo's beginning to May 6, 2001 and lists Giuseppe Martino as the original author. Its man page describes it as a console Morse-code trainer developed from scratch in ISO C++ with the GNU C++ standard library and libao.
The NEWS file shows rapid early development in 2003-2005: a Koch training method, callsign exercise, exercise generation, persistent Koch settings, autoconf/automake support, and a 0.7.0 switch to libao. The Savannah cgit summary shows later maintenance tags through v0.7.8 in 2013.
Adoption history
Aldo appears in the supplied package facts across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, and Nix. That is the adoption profile of a stable utility whose upstream is quiet but whose source remains portable enough for distributions to keep carrying.
Its Debian-oriented man page and Savannah hosting reflect an older GNU/Linux packaging culture: source tarballs, man pages, GPL licensing, and a user-specific dotfile under the home directory.
How it is used
Running `aldo` opens a menu-driven console trainer with Blocks, Koch, File, and Callsign exercises. The Koch mode starts with two Morse characters at full speed and adds characters as the learner reaches the target recognition threshold.
Configuration is stored in `~/.aldorc`; the source creates a default config if that file is missing. Audio output is handled through libao, so device selection follows the selected libao driver.
Why package nerds care
Aldo is significant less because it is large and more because it is archetypal: a tiny GPL command-line program, old enough to have moved through SourceForge-era email addresses and Savannah, still packaged by modern distros.
For package maintainers, the interesting bits are exactly the boring ones: libao linkage, old C++ code, man page availability, and a stable home-directory config file.
Timeline
- 2001-05-06: Source header records the project beginning.
- 2003-07-06: NEWS records Aldo 0.5.0 with Koch method and exercise-from-file support.
- 2004-11-20: Man page date for the Debian-oriented manual page.
- 2005-10-04: Aldo 0.7.0 switched to libao and removed soundcard configuration.
- 2013-07-16: Savannah cgit shows v0.7.8 tag and last listed maintenance commits.
Related projects
- Aldo's closest technical dependency is libao, used for portable audio output.
- Its training methods place it near other Morse and amateur-radio learning utilities rather than general productivity suites.
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 post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.aldorc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
aldo | cli | global executable |
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 generated2026-07-08
manager version0.7.7
manager updated2026-06-19
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.nongnu.org/aldo/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:aldo |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.7.7 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/aldo |
| Homepage | https://www.nongnu.org/aldo/ |
| Repository | https://git.savannah.nongnu.org/cgit/aldo.git |
| Upstream docs | https://git.savannah.nongnu.org/cgit/aldo.git/plain/aldo.1 |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/aldo/aldo-0.7.7.tar.bz2 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-19T12:30:01-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | libao |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | aldo |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
aldo 0.7.8-2
Morse code training program
sudo apt install aldo- Section: hamradio
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aldo
Nix95%
aldo
nix profile install nixpkgs#aldo- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aldo
Ubuntu apt95%
aldo 0.7.8-2
Morse code training program
sudo apt install aldo- Section: universe/hamradio
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aldo
dnf95%
aldo 0.7.7-19.fc44
A morse tutor
sudo dnf install aldo- License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aldo
- 6 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aldo
zypper95%
aldo 0.7.8-2.3
Console-based morse tutor
sudo zypper install aldo- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Hamradio/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aldo
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aldo
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
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment