BOOLR alternative: a logic simulator with nothing to download
BOOLR is a free, open-source digital logic simulator made by three Dutch high school students, Jaap Dechering, Gees Brouwer and Teun de Theije, for their final-year project. It is written in JavaScript and runs in Electron on Windows, macOS and Linux, and its simulation runs asynchronously in ticks so that big circuits do not freeze the screen. The latest release is v1.0.3 from March 2017; in October 2017 its site announced a BOOLR 2.0. To show it off, the students built Tineke, an 8-bit computer with 640 bytes of RAM and a 17 Hz clock that runs programs of up to 64 instructions, and their site offers its board file for download. If you want the same build-a-computer journey without installing anything, digiwleea runs in the browser and guides you through it.
What BOOLR is good at
It is clean and quick to pick up, it is free, and its source is on GitHub. The downloadable boards (an adder, a subtractor, a register and the whole Tineke computer, plus a smaller test machine that finds prime numbers) show how far a simple gate simulator can go. (digiwleea is an independent project, not affiliated with BOOLR or its authors.)
How digiwleea is different
digiwleea needs no download: it runs in any modern browser, phones included, and is actively developed. Instead of starting with ready-made gates, you build the gates themselves from CMOS transistors, then adders, latches, registers, RAM and an 8-bit CPU that runs a stored program, plus the assembly language behind it, through a 40+ level course where every part is checked against its truth table, with an AI tutor (Wleea). Finished parts go into your library, so each level builds on the last.
| BOOLR | digiwleea | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows, macOS and Linux (Electron app) | Any modern browser, nothing to install |
| Latest release | v1.0.3, March 2017 | Updated continuously |
| Smallest building block | Ready-made gates | CMOS transistors |
| A computer to study | Tineke, an 8-bit board you can download | An 8-bit CPU you build yourself, level by level |
| Price | Free, open source | Free lab and Act I; Premium for the full course |
No sign-up is needed to start: open the lab and place your first transistor, or read the free theory course. The account (and the AI tutor) are optional.
More comparisons: Logic simulators
See for yourself: build a logic gate from transistors in the simulator, then follow the path from sand to an 8-bit CPU.
Open the digiwleea lab →Frequently asked
Is BOOLR still maintained?
Its latest release is v1.0.3 from March 2017. Its site announced a BOOLR 2.0 in October 2017, but the GitHub releases page still lists v1.0.3 as the newest.
Is BOOLR free?
Yes. Its site describes it as completely free, and its source code is published on GitHub.
Is there an online version of BOOLR?
BOOLR is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. For a logic simulator that runs in the browser, digiwleea's lab is free and needs no install.