# joshiemoore/snakeware

A free Linux distro with a Python-based userspace

Repository: https://github.com/joshiemoore/snakeware
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/snakeware
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: python, linux, operating-system, x86-64, rpi4
Last push: 2023-12-30T20:29:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2289, "days_push": 977, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1728, forks 99 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:28.463239+00:00)

## What it is
snakeware is a free Linux distribution whose userspace is written entirely in Python, booting directly into a Python interpreter inspired by the Commodore 64. It ships with snakewm, a pygame/pygame_gui-based window manager that draws directly to the framebuffer without X11 or systemd.

## Use cases
- boot a computer directly into a Python interpreter
- experiment with a Python-based operating system
- learn OS concepts by contributing Python apps
- run a fun hobbyist live distro on a Raspberry Pi 4
- try a minimal Linux without systemd in QEMU

## When to choose
- you want a playful, hackable Python-centric OS for learning or tinkering
- you want to contribute apps to a beginner-friendly distro
- you want a live environment that boots straight into Python

## When to avoid
- you need a production or daily-driver operating system
- you require standard Linux userspace, X11, or systemd
- you need broad hardware support or long-term stability

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: interpreter, gui, developer-tools
- domain: operating-systems, programming-languages, education
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: linux-distro, python-userspace, pygame, window-manager, raspberry-pi, live-image, linux

## Member repositories
- joshiemoore/snakeware (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:28.463239+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:32:09.638156+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/joshiemoore/snakeware (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:28.463239+00:00, sha a596b0639ea9)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.