Download and install

Download the archive matching your computer from GitHub Releases. Keep the extracted folder intact, including bin/, sdk/ and the bundled desktop libraries.

Computer	Archive
Apple Silicon Mac	lcom-ng-macos-arm64.tar.gz
Intel Mac	lcom-ng-macos-x86_64.tar.gz
Linux Intel / AMD 64-bit	lcom-ng-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
Linux ARM 64-bit	lcom-ng-linux-arm64.tar.gz
Windows Intel / AMD 64-bit, MSYS2	lcom-ng-windows-msys2-x86_64.tar.gz

Published archives include the runtime, both SDKs, native lab starters and checks, examples, and SDL libraries. They are built and tested by GitHub Actions. A matching .sha256 file verifies each download. Before the first tagged release, maintainers can supply the archives from a successful Actions build.

macOS

Install Apple's compiler tools once, unless they are already installed:

xcode-select --install

For an Apple Silicon Mac, with the archive in Downloads:

mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/share"
tar -xzf "$HOME/Downloads/lcom-ng-macos-arm64.tar.gz" -C "$HOME/.local/share"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/lcom-ng-macos-arm64/bin:$PATH"
lcom-ng --help

On an Intel Mac, replace arm64 with x86_64. Add the export PATH=... line to ~/.zshrc to keep the command available in new terminals. The build tools provide clang and make. Verify python3 --version is 3.9 or newer; install Python from python.org if it is missing.

The archives use ad-hoc signatures and are not notarized. If macOS blocks a trusted download, follow its Privacy & Security approval flow. See the macOS guide for troubleshooting and the local trial evidence.

Linux

The Linux archives target Ubuntu 24.04 or a compatible distribution with glibc 2.39 or newer. Use a desktop session for interactive games. On Ubuntu, install the source build tools:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential python3
mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/share"
tar -xzf "$HOME/Downloads/lcom-ng-linux-x86_64.tar.gz" -C "$HOME/.local/share"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/lcom-ng-linux-x86_64/bin:$PATH"
lcom-ng --help

Replace x86_64 with arm64 on ARM Linux. Add the export line to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc, depending on your shell. SDL libraries and the terminal font are bundled; you do not need to build lcom-ng or install SDL development packages.

Windows with MSYS2

Use the Windows archive in an MSYS2 MSYS terminal. This release uses MSYS2's POSIX runtime, not a standalone PowerShell executable. Do not mix it with a MinGW or UCRT native compiler.

Install MSYS2, open the MSYS terminal, and install the source build tools:

pacman -Syu

If MSYS2 asks you to close the terminal, reopen it and complete the update. Then:

pacman -S --needed base-devel gcc python
mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/share"
tar -xzf /c/Users/YOUR_NAME/Downloads/lcom-ng-windows-msys2-x86_64.tar.gz -C "$HOME/.local/share"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/lcom-ng-windows-msys2-x86_64/bin:$PATH"
lcom-ng --help

Replace YOUR_NAME with your Windows account directory. Add the export line to ~/.bashrc. Build and run inside this same MSYS terminal. SDL and runtime DLLs are included in the archive. Windows ARM is not a release target yet.

Use lcom-ng compat build . --debug for debug symbols. MSYS GCC does not include AddressSanitizer, so --sanitize address reports that the host compiler cannot build with it.

Run your code

For an existing Minix project, enter the folder containing its original Makefile:

lcom-ng compat build .
lcom-ng run -- .lcom-ng/proj

Use the executable path printed by the build command. Follow the compatibility quick start for games and original labs.

For a native workspace:

lcom-ng setup student
cd student
make
lcom-ng run -- build/student_project
lcom-ng test rtc

Fresh native lab checks fail until you implement the TODOs. Continue with the native student guide and lab track.