macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ninvaderslocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install ninvaders with Homebrew, apt, Nix, zypper
Space Invaders in the terminal. Version 0.1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ninvadersDebian stable package indexes · ninvaders · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ninvadersnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ni/ninvaders/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install ninvadersopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · ninvaders · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Space Invaders in the terminal
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nInvaders
history
Project history and usage
nInvaders is a tiny ncurses Space Invaders clone for terminals. Its historical value is not ecosystem influence but preservation of a classic early-2000s Unix package genre: small C games that run over text terminals and survive because distributions keep them packaged.
Project history
The Debian man page credits Thomas Dettbarn as the program author, says the program is GPL, and dates the manual page to July 21, 2002. The SourceForge homepage points users to CVS snapshots and beta testing, and its news section records nInvaders 0.1.1 on May 8, 2003, after the 0.0.10 release on April 8, 2003.
The 0.1.1 SourceForge news entry says that release added a timer, made the game playable under IRIX, Windows, and some Red Hat versions, added a title screen, and fixed a freeze when shooting the last alien. The package has not grown into an actively evolving game platform; it is a finished little terminal toy.
Adoption history
nInvaders persists through package managers rather than an active upstream community. Debian still publishes a man page for package versions in unstable/testing, Homebrew bottles it for macOS and Linux, and SourceForge still hosts the old tarballs.
On 2026-07-01, Homebrew listed nInvaders 0.1.1 with 524 installs over 365 days, while SourceForge listed the 0.1.1 folder with 107 weekly downloads. Those numbers are small, but for a 2003 terminal game they show durable curiosity and packaging inertia.
How it is used
Usage is intentionally simple: run `nInvaders`, move with the left and right arrow keys, shoot with space, and optionally set a starting skill level with `-l`. Debian's manual describes it as ASCII-art Space Invaders using ncurses, playable anywhere a terminal can render it.
For package nerds it is useful as a smoke-test/fun package: ncurses, terminal input, simple build system, old upstream tarball, and a binary whose behavior is immediately visible.
Why package nerds care
nInvaders is a good enrichment record precisely because it is niche. It represents the long tail of package databases: not strategically important, but culturally recognizable, easy to install, and stable enough that distros can keep carrying it almost unchanged.
Timeline
- {'date': '2002-07-21', 'event': 'Debian manual page dated; credits Thomas Dettbarn as program author.'}
- {'date': '2003-04-08', 'event': 'SourceForge file listing records nInvaders 0.0.10.'}
- {'date': '2003-05-08', 'event': 'nInvaders 0.1.1 released on SourceForge.'}
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
nInvaders | 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 version0.1.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://ninvaders.sourceforge.net/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://ninvaders.sourceforge.net/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ninvaders |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ninvaders |
| Homepage | https://ninvaders.sourceforge.net/ |
| Repository | https://sourceforge.net/p/ninvaders/code |
| Upstream docs | https://ninvaders.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ninvaders/ninvaders/0.1.1/ninvaders-0.1.1.tar.gz |
| Uses from macOS | ncurses |
| 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 | ninvaders |
| 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%
ninvaders 0.1.1-5+b1
A space invaders-like game using ncurses
sudo apt install ninvaders- Section: games
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ninvaders
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ninvaders
Nix95%
ninvaders
nix profile install nixpkgs#ninvaders- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ninvaders
Ubuntu apt95%
ninvaders 0.1.1-5
A space invaders-like game using ncurses
sudo apt install ninvaders- Section: universe/games
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ninvaders
zypper95%
ninvaders 0.1.1-4.3
A space invaders-like game using ncurses
http://ninvaders.sourceforge.net/
sudo zypper install ninvaders- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Amusements/Games/Action/Arcade
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ninvaders
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ninvaders
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