# Install vice with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix, pacman, winget Versatile Commodore Emulator. Version 3.10 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install vice. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:vice ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install vice ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add vice ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vice from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install vice ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: vice from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#vice ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/vi/vice/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S vice ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: vice from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ### Windows - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id VICE-Team.VICE.GTK3 -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: VICE-Team.VICE.GTK3 from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:vice - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.10 - **Source summary:** Versatile Commodore Emulator - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-25T07:20:51+00:00 ## Executables - c1541 (cli) - cartconv (cli) - petcat (cli) - vsid (cli) - x128 (cli) - x64 (cli) - x64dtv (cli) - x64sc (cli) - xcbm2 (cli) - xcbm5x0 (cli) - xpet (cli) - xplus4 (cli) - xscpu64 (cli) - xvic (cli) - c1541 (alias) - cartconv (alias) - petcat (alias) - vsid (alias) - x128 (alias) - x64 (alias) - x64dtv (alias) - x64sc (alias) - xcbm2 (alias) - xcbm5x0 (alias) - xpet (alias) - xplus4 (alias) - xscpu64 (alias) - xvic (alias) ## Dependencies - adwaita-icon-theme - at-spi2-core - cairo - flac - gdk-pixbuf - gettext - giflib - glew - glib - gtk+3 - harfbuzz - libogg - libpng - libvorbis - pango ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake - dos2unix - pkgconf - texinfo - xa ## Uses from macOS - curl ## 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: 2026-07-25 - Package-manager version: 3.10 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://sourceforge.net/projects/vice-emu/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage VICE, the Versatile Commodore Emulator, is a long-running free software emulator suite for Commodore 8-bit computers. The current project covers the C64, C64DTV, C128, VIC-20, most PET models, Plus/4, CBM-II, and a C64 SuperCPU variant, with separate executables for the different emulated machines and tools. ### Project history VICE development began in 1993 under Finnish programmer Jarkko Sonninen, who founded the project and retired from it in 1994. The project later continued as a volunteer-maintained emulator suite under the VICE Team, with official distribution and source hosting on SourceForge. By the 2000s VICE had become one of the standard Commodore 8-bit emulation packages, especially on free Unix-like systems where historically fewer full-featured Commodore emulators were available. VICE was released under the GNU General Public License from 2004, and its manual and source tree document a broad, preservation-oriented codebase rather than a single-machine emulator. ### Adoption history The VICE name also covered platform-specific identities over time: older Win32 builds were widely known as WinVICE, while OS/2 and BeOS variants were called Vice/2 and BeVICE. As the project modernized, some old host ports were retired; VICE 3.4 dropped support for several legacy Unix-like systems because of lack of maintainers, and VICE 3.5 dropped explicit OS/2 and AmigaOS support during the GTK3 UI transition. ### How it is used Users typically launch the machine-specific emulator they need, such as `x64sc` or `x64` for Commodore 64, `x128` for Commodore 128, `xvic` for VIC-20, `xpet` for PET, or `xplus4` for Plus/4. The suite also includes command-line and conversion tools such as `c1541`, `cartconv`, `petcat`, and `vsid`, making it useful both for playing preserved software and for retrocomputing development workflows. ### Why package nerds care For package maintainers and retrocomputing users, VICE is significant because it packages a large preservation stack into reproducible builds across operating systems. Its breadth means distributions often expose many executables from one package, and its SourceForge-era history makes it a classic example of mature free software infrastructure surviving multiple host-platform and UI transitions. ### Timeline - 1993: VICE development began under Jarkko Sonninen. - 1994: Sonninen retired from the project. - 2004: VICE was free software under the GNU GPL. - 2008-12-19: VICE 2.1 release documented support for C64, C128, VIC-20, Plus/4, C64DTV, PET, and CBM-II families. - 2019-2020 era: VICE 3.4 and 3.5 retired several old host ports while moving through GTK3 UI modernization. - 2025-12-24: VICE 3.10 released. ### Related projects - Related Commodore and emulator projects include CCS64, MAME, and VICE.js, a JavaScript port of VICE. - The suite targets Commodore 8-bit families rather than later Amiga systems, so it complements rather than replaces Amiga-focused emulators. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ~/.config/vice/vicerc, ~/.vicerc ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** vice - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - vice - 3.9+dfsg-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: vice from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Versatile Commodore Emulator | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/ - Nix - vice: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/vi/vice/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - vice - 3.7.1+dfsg1-2build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: vice from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/multiverse/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Versatile Commodore Emulator | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/ - apk - vice - 3.10-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vice from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | emulates the C64/DTV, C128, VIC20, almost all PETs, PLUS4 and CBM-II | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/ - apk - vice-doc - 3.10-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vice-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | emulates the C64/DTV, C128, VIC20, almost all PETs, PLUS4 and CBM-II (documentation) | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/ - pacman - vice - 3.10-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: vice from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Versatile Commodore Emulator (GTK3) | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/ - pacman - vice-sdl2 - 3.10-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: vice-sdl2 from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Versatile Commodore Emulator (SDL2) | https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/ - winget - VICE-Team.VICE.GTK3: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: VICE-Team.VICE.GTK3 from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Game and emulation packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/game-emulation-tools/) - Matched game or emulation metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [cairo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cairo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [flac](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flac/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gdk-pixbuf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdk-pixbuf/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [giflib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/giflib/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glew](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glew/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [dos2unix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dos2unix/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [atari800](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/atari800/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games, retrocomputing. - [dosbox-staging](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dosbox-staging/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [huexpress](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/huexpress/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [mame](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mame/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [mednafen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mednafen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [mgba](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mgba/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [mupen64plus](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mupen64plus/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [nestopia-ue](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nestopia-ue/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulator, games. - [pioneers](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pioneers/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, core, games. - [klavaro](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/klavaro/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: adwaita, adwaita-icon-theme, at-spi2-core, cairo, cli. - [instead](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/instead/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, core, games. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/vice.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/vice.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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