10 Fun Linux Commands to Liven Up Your Terminal

1. sl command

The sl program displays an animated train moving across the screen, mimicking a classic joke for users who mistype ls. Install it with: sudo apt-get install sl Run it simply by typing: sl Common options include -a (accident), -l (little one), -F (fly), and -e (allow interrupt with Ctrl+C).

You can alias ls to sl for a prank:

alias ls=sl

2. fortune command

fortune

prints a random short quote, joke, or proverb. Install it (including Chinese quotes) with: sudo apt-get install fortune fortune-zh Run it:

fortune

3. cowsay command

cowsay

renders a message inside an ASCII animal speech bubble. Install it with: sudo apt-get install cowsay Example usage:

cowsay "I am not a cow, hahaha"

List available animal figures with cowsay -l and select one with -f:

cowsay -f tux "坑爹啊"

You can pipe fortune into cowsay for a whimsical quote:

fortune | cowsay

4. cmatrix command

cmatrix

creates a "Matrix"‑style falling‑character animation in the terminal. Install and run it with:

sudo apt-get install cmatrix
cmatrix

5. figlet and toilet commands

These utilities generate large ASCII art text. Install them:

sudo apt-get install figlet
sudo apt-get install toilet

Examples:

figlet "fuck you !"
toilet "i love you"

toilet

also supports colors and fonts, e.g.:

toilet -f mono12 -F gay "a girl"

6. oneko command

oneko

displays a cartoon cat that chases the mouse pointer. Install and run:

sudo apt-get install oneko
oneko

Terminate with Ctrl+C.

7. xeyes command

xeyes

shows a pair of eyes that follow the mouse cursor. Install the same way as previous commands and run xeyes. Example screenshot:

8. yes command

yes

repeatedly outputs a string until interrupted (Ctrl+C). Example:

yes "我很NB"

9. cal 9 1752 command

The cal utility prints calendars. The option 9 1752 displays the historically odd September 1752 calendar when the Gregorian reform omitted days.

10. shred command

shred

overwrites a file repeatedly to make data recovery difficult, useful for securely deleting sensitive files such as media or seed torrents.

11. factor command

factor

performs integer factorization, a simple utility that even elementary school students can experiment with.

12. aptitude moo variations

The aptitude package manager includes a hidden Easter egg. Running any of the following commands displays an ASCII cow:

aptitude moo

aptitude -v moo

aptitude -vv moo

aptitude -vvv moo

aptitude -vvvv moo

aptitude -vvvvv moo

aptitude -vvvvvv moo

aptitude -vvvvvvv moo

These fun commands can be discovered via the manual pages and customized for further terminal pranks.