Pynosaur

Exploring classic Unix concepts through pure Python

v0.1.0

Pure Python • Cross-platform • Educational

Overview

Pynosaur is an ecosystem of lightweight command-line tools built for learning, training, and exploration. Each tool recreates classic Unix utilities using pure Python, breathing fresh life into old concepts while keeping the purity of Python alive.

Designed for learners and extenders - These tools are deliberately simple and well-documented, making them perfect for:

Learning by reading - Understand how CLI tools work under the hood
Learning by extending - Fork, modify, and build upon existing tools
Pure Python exploration - No external dependencies, just the standard library
Training ground - Practice software design and Unix philosophy

Available Tools

Tool	Description	Equivalent
pget	Package manager (Python Gets)	`apt` / `brew`
see	File viewer with slicing & highlighting	`cat`
purl	Pure Python URL transfer tool	`curl`
yday	Current day of year (1-366)	`date +%j`
doc	Documentation viewer	`man`

Quick Start

Install pget (Python Gets), the package manager for the Pynosaur ecosystem:

# Clone and build pget
git clone https://github.com/pynosaur/pget.git
cd pget && bazel build //:pget_bin
cp bazel-bin/pget ~/.pget/bin/
export PATH="$HOME/.pget/bin:$PATH"

# Install any Pynosaur tool
pget install see
pget install yday

# Start using them
see README.md
yday

Philosophy

Every Pynosaur tool follows these principles:

Pure Python - Standard library only, keeping Python’s purity alive
Educational - Learn by recreating classic Unix tools
Exploratory - Breathe fresh software into old concepts
Cross-platform - Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows
Self-contained - Single binary, no runtime dependencies

Why Pynosaur?

This project exists to:

Empower learners - Readable, extendable tools you can actually understand
Train developers - Learn Python and Unix concepts through real tools
Explore history - Understand why classic tools were designed the way they were
Keep Python pure - Prove what’s possible with just the standard library
Enable extension - Fork any tool and make it yours

Use them. Learn from them. Extend them. Every tool is designed to be understood and modified. It’s not about replacing Unix tools - it’s about understanding and extending them.

Documentation

Roadmap - Upcoming tools and features
Contributing - Help build the ecosystem

License

MIT Licensed

Developed by @SpacemanY2K38