# Install newt with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper Library for color text mode, widget based user interfaces. Version 0.52.25 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:newt ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install newt ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add newt ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: newt from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libnewt-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libnewt-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install newt ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: newt from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#newt ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/newt/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libnewt0_52 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libnewt0_52 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:newt - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.52.25 - **Source summary:** Library for color text mode, widget based user interfaces - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LGPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - whiptail (cli) - whiptail (alias) ## Dependencies - gettext - popt - python@3.14 - s-lang ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.52.25 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://pagure.io/newt - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Newt is a Red Hat-origin text-mode widget library built on S-Lang. It provides stacked windows, entry widgets, checkboxes, radio buttons, labels, text fields, scrollbars, and related primitives for terminal user interfaces. The Homebrew package also exposes whiptail, the shell-friendly dialog-box command built on top of newt. ### Project history Newt is old Unix/Linux installer plumbing. The upstream README carries Red Hat copyright from 1996 through 2016 and describes the library as a color text-mode widget toolkit based on S-Lang. The long 0.52.x changelog is mostly maintenance: Python binding updates, whiptail layout fixes, translations, compiler fixes, memory-safety fixes, pkg-config support, macOS build fixes, and distribution patch integration. Whiptail's man page frames the user-facing command: it lets shell scripts present yes/no, menu, input, message, checklist, radiolist, gauge, password, and other dialog boxes. That makes newt less visible than ncurses or dialog, but very sticky in installers, rescue flows, and scripts that inherited whiptail behavior. ### Adoption history Newt's adoption came through operating-system tooling rather than developer fashion. It is packaged by Linux distributions and BSD ports because installers, scripts, and legacy admin tools need a small text UI stack. Debian and related systems also preserve whiptail compatibility for scripts that expect dialog-like behavior. Homebrew analytics reported 247 installs in 30 days, 920 in 90 days, and 3,858 in 365 days for the formula when queried on July 1, 2026. For macOS, this is usually dependency or script compatibility usage rather than developers choosing newt for a new greenfield TUI. ### How it is used Package nerds usually encounter newt indirectly: a dependency needs libnewt, or an installer script invokes whiptail. Direct users write C against libnewt, Python against snack bindings where available, or shell scripts against whiptail when they want dialog boxes without depending on a full GUI. The practical caution is compatibility. whiptail resembles dialog but is not identical, and scripts often rely on exact option support, output file descriptors, menu formatting, and terminal behavior. That is why small changelog entries about automatic width, unicode, --notags, --noitem, gauges, and resizing matter. ### Why package nerds care Newt is infrastructure glue: old, unglamorous, and still packaged because deleting it breaks installers and shell scripts. In av.db it is important mainly because the executable surface is whiptail and the library is likely a transitive dependency. ### Timeline - 1996: Upstream README copyright begins with Red Hat, marking the project's early Linux distribution roots. - 2007-01-31: whiptail man page version line documented Whiptail 0.52.5. - 2009: Newt 0.52.11 fixed CVE-2009-2905 according to the changelog. - 2025: 0.52.25 was the stable version reported by Homebrew on July 1, 2026. - 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula version observed as 0.52.25, with 3,858 formula installs over the preceding 365-day analytics window. ### Related projects - S-Lang - whiptail - dialog - snack Python bindings - Red Hat installer tooling ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** newt - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libnewt-dev - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libnewt-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Developer's toolkit for newt windowing library | https://pagure.io/newt - Debian apt - libnewt-pic - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libnewt-pic from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Not Erik's Windowing Toolkit, shared library subset kit | https://pagure.io/newt - Debian apt - libnewt0.52 - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libnewt0.52 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Not Erik's Windowing Toolkit - text mode windowing with slang | https://pagure.io/newt - Debian apt - newt-tcl - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: newt-tcl from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | NEWT module for Tcl | https://pagure.io/newt - Debian apt - python3-newt - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: python3-newt from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | NEWT module for Python3 | https://pagure.io/newt - Debian apt - whiptail - 0.52.25-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: whiptail from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Displays user-friendly dialog boxes from shell scripts | https://pagure.io/newt - Nix - newt: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/newt/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libnewt-dev - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnewt-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Developer's toolkit for newt windowing library | https://pagure.io/newt - Ubuntu apt - libnewt-pic - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnewt-pic from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Not Erik's Windowing Toolkit, shared library subset kit | https://pagure.io/newt - Ubuntu apt - libnewt0.52 - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnewt0.52 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Not Erik's Windowing Toolkit - text mode windowing with slang | https://pagure.io/newt - Ubuntu apt - newt-tcl - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: newt-tcl from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | NEWT module for Tcl | https://pagure.io/newt - Ubuntu apt - python3-newt - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python3-newt from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | NEWT module for Python3 | https://pagure.io/newt - Ubuntu apt - whiptail - 0.52.24-2ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: whiptail from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Displays user-friendly dialog boxes from shell scripts | https://pagure.io/newt - apk - newt - 0.52.25-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: newt from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Redhat's Newt windowing toolkit development files | https://pagure.io/newt/ - apk - newt-dev - 0.52.25-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: newt-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Redhat's Newt windowing toolkit development files (development files) | https://pagure.io/newt/ - apk - newt-doc - 0.52.25-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: newt-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Redhat's Newt windowing toolkit development files (documentation) | https://pagure.io/newt/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [s-lang](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/s-lang/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [byobu](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/byobu/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [fpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fpp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, terminal-ui. - [libvterm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libvterm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, library, terminal. - [termscp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/termscp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, terminal-ui. - [aha](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aha/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [amtterm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amtterm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ansifilter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ansifilter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ccat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ccat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [cdk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdk/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui, widgets. - [xmlto](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xmlto/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: based, cli, developer, developer-tools. - [gtk4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gtk4/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, gettext, interfaces. - [most](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/most/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, lang, s-lang. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/newt.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/newt.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph