macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install foxlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install foxMacPorts ports tree · x11/fox/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install fox with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Toolkit for developing Graphical User Interfaces easily. Version 1.6.59 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add foxAlpine Linux edge package indexes · fox · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install foxFedora Rawhide package metadata · fox · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#foxnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/fo/fox/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S foxArch Linux sync databases · fox · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libFOX-1_6-0openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libFOX-1_6-0 · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Toolkit for developing Graphical User Interfaces easily
Project links
Commands and aliases
- PathFinder
- adie
- calculator
- fox-config
- reswrap
- shutterbug
history
Project history and usage
FOX Toolkit is a C++ cross-platform GUI toolkit. Its official site presents it as a way to build applications that can be recompiled across operating systems while keeping GUI behavior under the toolkit's control.
Project history
FOX was started by Jeroen van der Zijp and is distributed as source archives from the official fox-toolkit.org download area rather than through an official public source-control repository. The site copyright range begins in 1997, and the downloads page lists stable, old-stable, and development source releases.
The project's design notes frame FOX as a source-available LGPL toolkit written from the ground up in C++, avoiding wrappers over native GUI libraries and concentrating platform dependencies in selected base classes.
Adoption history
FOX's adoption story is tied to portable desktop software and bundled sample applications. The official download page ships source archives for Linux/Unix and Windows, documentation, and application sources such as Adie, Shutterbug, and the FOX Calculator inside the FOX distribution.
For package managers, FOX is the kind of dependency that appears both as a GUI library and as a source of small demonstration utilities, which is why packages often expose executables such as adie, calculator, reswrap, and fox-config.
How it is used
Developers use FOX as a C++ GUI library, compiling against its headers and libraries. The Win32 documentation describes linking FOX applications with Visual C++ and using a normal main function via the mainCRTStartup entry point.
The official goals page emphasizes platform-independent public interfaces, avoiding accidental inclusion of platform-specific GUI headers, and relying only on low-level operating-system facilities.
Why package nerds care
FOX is package-nerd significant as a long-lived, self-contained GUI toolkit with its own build artifacts, helper tools, and sample applications. It represents the older Unix packaging problem of shipping a portable C++ GUI library that also contains useful end-user programs.
It is also interesting because official distribution is archive-based: the source of truth is the project's download directory and documentation site, not an official GitHub or GitLab project page.
Timeline
- 1997: Official site copyright range begins for FOX Toolkit.
- 1.4.35: Old stable source archive is listed on the official download page.
- 1.6.59: Stable source archive is listed on the official download page.
- 1.7.90: Development source archive and news entry are listed on the official site.
Related projects
- Adie, Shutterbug, and FOX Calculator are distributed with or from the FOX distribution and serve as example applications.
- FOX is related by problem domain to other cross-platform GUI toolkits, but the official goals page distinguishes it from wrappers over native GUI libraries.
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 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 15 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
PathFinder | cli | global executable | |
adie | cli | global executable | |
calculator | cli | global executable | |
fox-config | cli | global executable | |
reswrap | cli | global executable | |
shutterbug | 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 version1.6.59
manager updated2026-06-25
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.http://fox-toolkit.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:fox |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.6.59 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/fox |
| Homepage | http://fox-toolkit.org/ |
| Upstream docs | http://fox-toolkit.org/ |
| License | LGPL-2.1-or-later |
| Source archive | https://distfiles.macports.org/fox/fox-1.6.59.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-25T13:37:40+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | fontconfig, freetype, jpeg-turbo, libpng, libtiff, libx11, libxcursor, libxext, libxfixes, libxft, libxi, libxrandr, libxrender, mesa, mesa-glu |
| Uses from macOS | bzip2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | fox |
| 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.
Nix95%
fox
nix profile install nixpkgs#fox- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox 1.6.59-r0
Free Objects for X
sudo apk add fox- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-adie 1.6.59-r0
Adie text editor
sudo apk add fox-adie- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-calculator 1.6.59-r0
Free Objects for X - calculator
sudo apk add fox-calculator- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-dev 1.6.59-r0
Free Objects for X (development files)
sudo apk add fox-dev- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-doc 1.6.59-r0
Free Objects for X (documentation)
sudo apk add fox-doc- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-pathfinder 1.6.59-r0
Free Objects for X - fast file manager
sudo apk add fox-pathfinder- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-shutterbug 1.6.59-r0
fox - screen snapshot application
sudo apk add fox-shutterbug- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
apk95%
fox-utils 1.6.59-r0
fox (development utilities)
sudo apk add fox-utils- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
dnf95%
fox 1.6.59-3.fc44
C++ based Toolkit for developing Graphical User Interfaces
sudo dnf install fox- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: fox
- 23 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
dnf95%
fox-devel 1.6.59-3.fc44
Development files for fox
sudo dnf install fox-devel- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: fox
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
dnf95%
fox-doc 1.6.59-3.fc44
Documentation files for fox
sudo dnf install fox-doc- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: fox
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
dnf95%
fox-utils 1.6.59-3.fc44
Utility applications based on fox
sudo dnf install fox-utils- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
pacman95%
fox 1:1.6.59-1
Free Objects for X: GUI Toolkit for C++
sudo pacman -S fox- License: LGPL AND custom
- Architecture: x86_64
- 8 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
zypper95%
libFOX-1_6-0 1.6.57-4.14
Shared libraries for the FOX toolkit 1.6
sudo zypper install libFOX-1_6-0- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fox16
- 18 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
MacPorts95%
fox
sudo port install fox- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fox
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 package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment