A game where you're an OS and have to manage processes, memory and I/O events
Summary
A game where you play as the operating system, managing processes, memory, and I/O events to keep the user satisfied.
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plbrault/youre-the-os
Source: https://github.com/plbrault/youre-the-os
You’re the OS!
This is a game where you are the operating system of a computer. As such, you have to manage processes, memory and I/O events. Make sure not to leave processes idling for too long, or the user will get really impatient and reboot you!
You can play the game here: https://plbrault.github.io/youre-the-os
Also available on itch.io.

Prerequisites
- Python 3.14
- The project is not guaranteed to work with other versions.
- If needed, use pyenv to install the required version without impacting your system globally.
- pipenv
- An empty
.venvdirectory at the root of the project
Usage
The main branch can be unstable. For a stable version, checkout a release tag.
Install dependencies:
pipenv sync --dev
Run as a desktop app:
pipenv run desktop
Run web version:
pipenv run web
Run sandbox mode
The sandbox mode allows you to skip the menu and immediately run a custom stage. It is provided for development purposes.
First, you need to create a sandbox configuration file. An example is provided in src/sandbox/sample.py. It is recommended to store your configuration file in that same src/sandbox directory. Files added to that directory will be ignored by Git.
Next, run the following command, replacing sandbox.sample by the Python module path from src to your own configuration file (for instance, if your file is src/sandbox/myConfig.py, the module path will be sandbox.myConfig):
pipenv run sandbox sandbox.sample
Run with an automated script:
(Original implementation by @Wiguwbe)
WARNING: Running automation scripts (including the provided example) may cause rapidly changing colors on the screen.
pipenv run auto <script.py> [args]
# to get all the available options
pipenv run auto --help
See automation/skeleton.py for information on how to write your script.
Build web version without running:
pipenv run web build
Create web.zip archive for itch.io:
pipenv run web archive
Run linter:
pipenv run pylint
Run unit tests:
pipenv run pytest
Contributing
Pull requests that address open issues labeled bug or help wanted are welcome.
If you use AI, please ensure your agent follows all instructions in AGENTS.md.
If you have an idea for an improvement to this game, please share it in the Discussions tab.
License
Copyright © 2023-present Pier-Luc Brault [email protected]
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.
Asset Licenses
- The game icon/logo is a modified version of an image by Muhammat Sukirman published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0.
- Emojis used in the game are from OpenMoji. They are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0.
- The image used in the Game Over screen is by Aleksandar Cvetanović. It was published on Pixabay prior to January 2019, and as such, is available under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) License according to Pixabay’s Terms of Service.
- The primary font used in the game is named VT323, and was designed by Peter Hull. The secondary font is named Victor Mono and was designed by Rune Bjørnerås. Both are published under the Open Font License.
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