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Show HN: Resurrecting Infocom's Unix Z-Machine with Cosmopolitan

(christopherdrum.github.io)
156 points ChristopherDrum | 3 comments | 14 Apr 25 03:51 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source

I recently brought Infocom's original UNIX z-machine source code back to life on modern systems. The modified source code, instructions on usage, a build of the z-machine, and examples of embedded game executables are available.

There is also a detailed write-up about the state of the original source code, the porting process, and the invaluable role Justine Tunney's Cosmpolitan project played in bringing the Zork trilogy (and more) to Windows/Mac/Linux/bsd for arm/x86 machines over the course of a lazy Sunday.

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hans_0l0 ◴[14 Apr 25 11:10 UTC] No.43680032[source]▶
What is going on here?

[~/Downloads] $ chmod +x zork*

[~/Downloads] $ ./zork1

Cannot open assembly './zork1': File does not contain a valid CIL image.

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1. ChristopherDrum ◴[14 Apr 25 11:39 UTC] No.43680218[source]▶
What setup are you running it on? That will help with troubleshooting. Or, if you prefer, feel free to file an issue on the project repo and we can hash it out there.

https://github.com/ChristopherDrum/pez/issues

replies(1): >>43686551 #
2. hans_0l0 ◴[14 Apr 25 21:32 UTC] No.43686551[source]▶
I run Arch Linux on an AMD Ryzen 5. I have mono installed, not sure why, i guess it is a depenency for sdrsharp or the like. However, the sh ./zork1 did the trick :-)
replies(1): >>43687111 #
3. ChristopherDrum ◴[14 Apr 25 22:45 UTC] No.43687111[source]▶
Great! Glad to hear we have a simple solution for this issue. It is interesting to note your trouble, because another player in this post is running Arch and says it worked flawlessly. I guess Mono gets in the way a little.