Compiling LaserBoy for MacOS
============================

LaserBoy can be compiled on MacOS using Homebrew.

Open a terminal.

If you do not already have Homebrew installed, install it with this command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Let Homebrew finish installing.

Homebrew might tell you to run one or two extra commands to finish setting up your shell.

On Apple Silicon Macs, those commands usually look like this:

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile

eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

On Intel Macs, Homebrew might use this path instead:

/usr/local/bin/brew

Follow the instructions Homebrew gives you.

Now install the tools and libraries needed to compile LaserBoy:

brew install fltk boost cairo

If you downloaded LaserBoy from:

https://laserboy.org/code/LaserBoy_Current.zip

the zip file will probably be in your Downloads folder.

Unzip it.

You can move the LaserBoy folder to your Desktop if you want it to be easy to find.

For example:

mv ~/Downloads/LaserBoy ~/Desktop/

Now go to the LaserBoy folder:

cd ~/Desktop/LaserBoy

List the files to make sure you are in the right place:

ls

You should see the LaserBoy folders and files.

Now go into the source code folder:

cd src

List the files:

ls

You should see the LaserBoy source code and makefiles.

Compile LaserBoy.

For an Intel Mac, use this:

time make -f Makefile.osx

For an Apple Silicon Mac, such as M1, M2, or M3, use this:

time make -f Makefile.mm1

This can take a while.

If you need to clean the source folder and build again, use the matching clean command.

For an Intel Mac:

make -f Makefile.osx clean
time make -f Makefile.osx

For an Apple Silicon Mac:

make -f Makefile.mm1 clean
time make -f Makefile.mm1

When the build is done, go back to the main LaserBoy folder:

cd ..

You should now have a LaserBoy executable.

Run it from the terminal like this:

./LaserBoy_osx 1600 980

or

./LaserBoy_mm1 1600 980

The two numbers are the window width and height in pixels.

Use numbers that fit your display.

Leave room for the window title bar and borders so the whole LaserBoy window fits on the screen.

LaserBoy is keyboard driven.

It does not use the mouse for drawing or editing.

Enjoy!

James Lehman
james@akrobiz.com
laserboy.org