Lynux

Lynux is a Linux desktop emulator game built with Love2D. It simulates a Linux‑style desktop complete with a top bar (showing date and time), a bottom bar of app icons, and draggable windows for individual applications. The project is modular—each app is contained in its own Lua file—and many share a common file system.

Why?

I'm developing a game based on this. However, I wanted the base code to be open source, which led to the creation of Lynux.

Features

• Linux Desktop Emulation:
  Emulates a Linux desktop with a status bar at the top and a taskbar at the bottom.

• Multiple Applications:

  • Email App: Displays dummy email content.
  • Browser App: Minimal web browser with a URL bar and dummy webpage content.
  • Files App: A file manager that navigates a shared file system (loaded from filesystem.json or default data). Supports directory navigation and file operations.
  • Terminal App: A full-featured terminal supporting common commands (echo, pwd, cd, mkdir, etc.) and inline function calls (e.g. $pwd(), $date()).
  • Roulette App: A roulette game with betting and spin mechanics.
  • Text Editor: Integrated with the Files App; opens files for editing. Displays the full file path at the top and uses red text if unsaved (dirty) and black when saved.
  • Dino App: A simple dino game (or placeholder) for extra fun.

• Shared File System:
  The file manager and terminal both operate on a shared file system stored in JSON format. If no saved file exists, default data is loaded from data/filesystem.json.

• Scripting and Inline Substitutions in Terminal:
  Supports both usual commands (e.g., echo "hello", pwd, mkdir dir) and function‑like commands using inline substitutions (e.g., $echo("hello"), $pwd(), $date()). Inline substitution looks for variables or built‑in function names and replaces them with their output.

Installation and Running

1. Install Love2D:
   Download and install Love2D.

2. Clone or Download Lynux:
   Place the project folder (Lynux/) on your computer.

3. Project Structure:

   Lynux/
   ├── main.lua                  -- Entry point; sets up the desktop environment and window system.
   ├── email.lua                 -- Email app module.
   ├── browser.lua               -- Browser app module.
   ├── files.lua                 -- File manager module.
   ├── terminal.lua              -- Terminal app module.
   ├── terminal_commands.lua     -- Terminal command processing & inline substitutions.
   ├── roulette.lua              -- Roulette game app module.
   ├── texteditor.lua            -- Text editor module.
   ├── dino.lua                  -- Dino game module.
   ├── filesystem.lua            -- Shared file system module.
   ├── data/
   │   └── filesystem.json       -- Default file system data.
   └── assets/                   -- Images and icons for the apps.
   

4. Run the Game:
   Launch Love2D and select the Lynux/ folder or run via command line:

   love Lynux/

How to Play

• Desktop Interface:
  Click on the application icons in the taskbar at the bottom to launch apps. Windows can be dragged by their title bar, minimized, closed, or resized.

• Terminal App:

  • Type commands such as echo "hello", pwd, mkdir myDir, etc.
  • Use inline function calls like $pwd(), $date(), $time() to insert dynamic values.
  • Type help in the terminal to see all available commands.

• Files App and Text Editor:

  • Navigate directories and double‑click files to open them in the Text Editor.
  • The Text Editor displays the full file path at its top header.
  • The file path appears in red if there are unsaved changes (dirty) and black once saved.
  • Use Ctrl+S within the editor to save changes back to the shared file system.

• Other Applications:
  Explore the Email, Browser, Roulette, and Dino apps for additional functionality and fun.

Customization

• Adding Commands:
  The terminal commands and inline function calls are implemented in terminal_commands.lua via an inlineSubstitutions table. You can easily add new commands by adding a new entry to this table.

• Modular Apps:
  Each app is a standalone module, making it simple to extend or replace individual applications.

Credits

• Project Name: Lynux
• Built with: Love2D
• Inspiration: Linux desktop environments, retro game emulators, and interactive prototyping.

Enjoy exploring your very own Linux desktop emulator game—Lynux!