5 Interesting Funny Commands of Linux

Linux is a powerful operating system loved by developers, system administrators, and computer enthusiasts alike. While it's known for being highly customizable and versatile through its command line interface, Linux also has a fun and playful side. There are numerous amusing and entertaining commands that can spice up your terminal sessions and add humor to your daily workflow.

Cowsay

Cowsay generates ASCII art of a cow with a speech bubble containing your input text. It's perfect for creating silly messages or greetings in your terminal.

$ cowsay "Hello, world!"
 _____________

 -------------
        \   ^__^
         \  (oo)\_______
            (__)\       )\/\
                ||----w |
                ||     ||

You can use different animals or objects with the -f flag followed by the character name:

$ cowsay -f tux "I love Linux!"
$ cowsay -f dragon "Beware!"

Fortune

Fortune displays random quotes, sayings, or jokes from a database of thousands of entries. These range from inspirational to humorous, making it perfect for adding randomness to your terminal sessions.

$ fortune

You can combine fortune with cowsay for extra fun:

$ fortune | cowsay

SL (Steam Locomotive)

SL displays an ASCII art steam locomotive that runs across your terminal window. It's designed as a humorous correction for users who mistype ls as sl.

$ sl

Additional options include:

• -l Makes the locomotive smaller

• -a Adds an accident scene

• -F Makes the train fly

Figlet

Figlet creates ASCII art text in various fonts, perfect for custom banners or headings:

$ figlet "Linux Rocks!"

 _     _                  ____            _        _ 
| |   (_)_ __  _   ___  _|  _ \ ___   ___| | _____| |
| |   | | '_ \| | | \ \/ / |_) / _ \ / __| |/ / __| |
| |___| | | | | |_| |>  

Use different fonts with the -f flag:

$ figlet -f slant "Welcome!"
$ figlet -f small "Compact text"


Cmatrix

Cmatrix creates an animated Matrix-style display of falling green characters, making your terminal look like something from a sci-fi movie:

$ cmatrix


Options include:

• -s Screensaver mode

• -b Bold characters

• -C Change color (red, green, blue, etc.)

Installation

Most of these commands need to be installed separately. On Ubuntu/Debian systems:

$ sudo apt install cowsay fortune sl figlet cmatrix

On Red Hat/CentOS systems:

$ sudo yum install cowsay fortune-mod sl figlet cmatrix

Combining Commands

These commands become even more entertaining when combined. Here are some popular combinations:

$ fortune | cowsay | lolcat
$ figlet "$(whoami)" | cowsay -n
$ echo "Welcome $(whoami)!" | figlet | lolcat

Conclusion

These fun Linux commands demonstrate that the terminal doesn't have to be all work and no play. Commands like cowsay, fortune, sl, figlet, and cmatrix can add personality and humor to your command line sessions. They're perfect for lightening the mood during long coding sessions or impressing colleagues with creative terminal displays.