# Install zork with Homebrew, dnf Dungeon modified from FORTRAN to C. Version 1.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-30. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:zork ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install zork ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install zork ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: zork from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:zork - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.1.0 - **Source summary:** Dungeon modified from FORTRAN to C - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-30T08:37:39Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - zork (cli) - zork (alias) ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## 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: 1.1.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-30 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/devshane/zork - Upstream latest detected: v1.1.0 (current) ## Project history and usage The Homebrew zork package is not the commercial Infocom trilogy itself; it packages a C-port lineage of Dungeon, the mainframe Zork ancestor. That makes it part game, part software-preservation artifact, and part living example of how classic source leaks, ports, and public-domain distributions became installable Unix packages. ### Project history Zork began at MIT in 1977 as a PDP-10 text adventure written in MDL by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling. The mainframe game grew into the Great Underground Empire world and later became the basis for Infocom's commercial Zork I, II, and III releases for personal computers. The package lineage follows the Dungeon branch. The devshane repository says its codebase is a C port derived from the FORTRAN source of Zork 2.6, while the implementation history records a chain from MDL to DEC FORTRAN, then f77 for Unix, then C through f2c. The README frames current maintenance as code preservation: keep the game logic and behavior accurate while making it compile on modern systems. Original Dungeon documentation preserved by MIT says the PDP-11 Dungeon source release was superseded by commercial ZORK in 1980, and it emphasizes that the Infocom product was rewritten for small machines with a better parser and terminal support. That distinction is central: this package preserves a mainframe-descended branch rather than merely repackaging a retail game binary. ### Adoption history Zork's adoption history predates modern package managers: it circulated through mainframe communities, DEC users, and then commercial microcomputer releases by Infocom. Dungeon, the FORTRAN/C branch, survived because source distributions and ports made the mainframe-style game buildable outside its original environment. As a modern package, zork appeals to retrocomputing users, interactive-fiction readers, and Unix package collectors who want a runnable classic from source. Fedora packaging and the GitHub preservation repository show the project's role as an installable artifact rather than just a museum listing. ### How it is used The executable launches a text parser adventure: the player types commands, explores rooms, collects treasures, solves puzzles, and navigates the familiar white-house opening. There is no GUI and no network service; the package is meant for terminal play and source-preservation builds. For maintainers, the practical work is mostly portability: keeping old translated C building cleanly with modern compilers while avoiding behavior changes that would turn preservation into a remake. ### Why package nerds care zork is package-nerd significant because it compresses a huge amount of computing history into one small command. Installing it links a modern package manager to MIT AI Lab culture, DEC FORTRAN ports, Unix f77, f2c translation, Infocom's commercial rewrite, and the preservation habits of retro source communities. It is also a reminder that package names can hide lineage. The thing installed as zork is historically Dungeon/Zork source, not simply Zork I from a store shelf; knowing that difference is exactly the kind of detail package nerds care about. ### Timeline - 1977: Zork begins at MIT as a PDP-10 MDL text adventure. - 1978: Bob Supnik translates the MDL source into DEC FORTRAN for the PDP-11, creating the Dungeon branch. - 1980: Infocom announces the commercial ZORK: The Great Underground Empire - Part I, rewritten for smaller machines. - 1981: The FORTRAN version is converted for Unix f77. - 1985: The Unix lineage is adapted for VAX/Unix with fuller save/restore and debugging support. - 1991: The preserved C implementation reports a March 1991 creation date in the current repository output. - 2013-present: The devshane-maintained repository treats the code as a preservation project for modern C compilers and operating systems. ### Related projects - Adventure / Colossal Cave: the earlier text adventure that influenced Zork and Dungeon. - Infocom Zork I, II, and III: the commercial trilogy derived from and expanded beyond the mainframe game. - MDL / MUDDLE: the original implementation language of mainframe Zork. - f2c: the FORTRAN-to-C translator used in the C implementation lineage. - IF Archive and historicalsource repositories: preservation hubs for interactive-fiction source and artifacts. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** zork - **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 - dnf - zork - 1.0.3-11.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: zork from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Public Domain original DUNGEON game (Zork I) | https://github.com/devshane/zork ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [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. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [dungeon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dungeon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, game, games, interactive-fiction, text-adventure. - [fizmo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fizmo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, games, interactive-fiction, text-adventure. - [dmagnetic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dmagnetic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction, text-adventure. - [frotz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/frotz/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction. - [git-if](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/git-if/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction. - [glulxe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glulxe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction. - [qtads](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/qtads/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction. - [instead](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/instead/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, interactive-fiction, text-adventure. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/zork.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/zork.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