14 unexpected ways to use the Linux terminal

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-19 14:05

The terminal will replace your browser, email client and audio player, and will also allow you to watch Star Wars and talk to animals.

The Linux Terminal is a versatile tool that can do anything with a system. Of course, the vast majority of users rarely open the terminal. But if you want to feel like a Linux guru, you should take a closer look at the terminal.

1. Shouting at the system

If you use a Linux terminal at least occasionally, you should be familiar with this situation. You enter a command that requires superuser rights to execute, but you forget to type before it

sudo

… The system informs you that the command cannot be executed.

Sometimes the best way to get Linux to do something is by yelling. Enter

sudo !!

- two exclamation marks let the system know that you are determined. The terminal will execute your last command with superuser rights.

This is convenient because you don't have to re-enter the entire command.

2. View files and folders in Linux terminal

If you want to ditch beautiful and stylish file managers like Nemo and Nautilus and try something new, install ranger. This file manager works right in the console. To install, run:

sudo apt install ranger

Then start the file manager with the command:

ranger

You can now browse your folders right in the terminal. Note that ranger has many commands that make it perform different operations on files. You can familiarize yourself with them by typing:

man ranger

Another terminal file manager is mc, aka Midnight Commander. It is more functional than a ranger. You can install it simply:

sudo apt install mc

And then start Midnight Commander with the command

mc

It has a two-pane interface, and in general it looks simpler and clearer than ranger.

3. Surf the Internet

If you have reached such a degree of enlightenment that you are viewing your files and folders in the terminal, then it is probably time to uninstall Chrome - all the same, it does nothing but show ads and merge the history of your Google surfing. Lynx is the choice for real console gamers.

You can install and run it with the commands:

sudo apt install lynx

lynx

It is a fully functional browser that runs in the terminal. Yes, it only shows naked text without pictures. Yes, it doesn't support CSS and JavaScript. But it works so fast and takes up so little space that with it you can read Lifehacker even on your granny's calculator.

If the Lynx seems a bit austere for you, try Links2. It is a fork of Lynx, it supports styles and JavaScript, and even displays images. In it, you can not only open previously known URLs, as in Lynx, but also use Google search.

sudo apt install links2

links2

4. Read email in Linux terminal

Linux also has a terminal mail client. Mutt supports IMAP and POP3 protocols and is compatible with almost any popular email provider. It even has a message encryption mechanism and electronic signatures.

sudo apt install mutt

mutt

5. Play music in the terminal

Be honest: does the music player interface matter? Doesn't he spend most of his time playing music in the background?

So you can demolish Rhythmbox and Clementine with their clutter of features like support for streaming music services and scrobbling in Last.fm. We will install moc (Music on Console) instead.

sudo apt install moc

mocp

6. Download torrents

Like a music player, the torrent client is usually minimized, so there is no place for interface beauties. rtorrent is a simple and tiny client that runs in a terminal.

sudo apt install rtorrent

rtorrent

7. Monitor system resources

To see which applications are so brazenly loading memory and processor, you can use htop. This is essentially Windows Task Manager or macOS System Monitor. The application allows you to prioritize processes, sort them, or terminate them.

sudo apt install htop

htop

8. Print texts

George Martin wrote Game of Thrones on an old DOS computer using WordStar 4.0. He claims that it helps to be productive and not be distracted by the Internet.

Let's follow the example of the writer and work in vim. It is an old school text editor. It only has a black background and a white cursor. Nothing will take you away from the text.

Installs vim like this:

sudo apt install vim

Oddly enough, you can start vim with the command

vim

If the interface of the text editor seems confusing to you, type

vimtutor

- training will open.

9. Schedule events in the calendar

Calcurse is a console calendar. Google does not sync with the calendar, but otherwise provides good functionality. Allows you to create events and write to-do lists. It also has a notification system.

sudo apt install calcurse

calcurse

10. See pictures

Yes, you can watch pictures in the Linux terminal. ASCII character graphics are, of course, not an amateur thing, but they look funny. Viewing pictures in the terminal is performed by cacaview.

sudo apt install caca-utils

cacaview

11. Admiring the train

Linux has a command that displays the contents of folders in the terminal. Experienced terminal users use it quite often. It is called

ls

If you type quickly, you can confuse the two buttons and enter the command

sl

… And the terminal … will show you a steam locomotive with a wagon (Steam Locomotive).

This is just a fun easter egg from the developers. Who knows what they meant by that.

If the command does not display the locomotive, then the easter egg has been safely cut out in your Linux distribution. To install it back, enter

sudo apt install sl

12. Watch "Star Wars" in the Linux terminal

Linux has a package

telnet

which allows your computer to connect to the network ports of other computers. By itself, it is only interesting for system administrators, but it has a funny Easter egg. Enter the command

telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

and you can watch Star Wars right in the terminal window.

13. Become familiar with the Discordian calendar

Linux has a command

date

which is used to set the system clock. Again, only system administrators need it, because ordinary people set the time and date through the "Options" menu.

But if you type at least once

ddate

the system will show you the current date … in the Discordian calendar. Discordianism is such a parody religion.

If the command does not work, then the easter egg has been cut out in your distribution. You can install it like this:

sudo apt install ddate

14. Talking to cows

For some reason, Linux developers are very fond of cows. Even more than penguins. Otherwise, you can't explain why Easter eggs are even in the standard package manager.

apt

Enter the command

sudo apt moo

and the package manager draws a cow that asks if you mooed today.

In addition, you can talk to cows through the cowsay terminal application:

sudo apt-get install cowsay fortune-mod

After installation, enter

fortune | cowsay

… And the cow will give out some witty phrase - a quote of the day and stuff like that.

Besides cows, you can talk to other animals as well. For example, with a dragon or an elephant. To view the list of animals, enter

cowsay -l