13 Fun Linux Terminal Commands to Wow Your Friends

1. sl command

Shows an animated train moving across the screen; can be used as a prank.

Install: sudo apt-get install sl Run: sl Options: -a, -l, -F, -e (each displays a different animation or behavior).

Alias ls to sl:

alias ls=sl

2. fortune command

Displays a random quote, joke, or proverb.

Install: sudo apt-get install fortune Run:

fortune

3. cowsay command

Prints ASCII art of a cow (or other animals) saying a message.

Install: sudo apt-get install cowsay Run example: cowsay "I am not a cow, hahaha" List available animals: cowsay -l Use a specific animal (e.g., tux): cowsay -f tux "坑爹啊" Combine with fortune:

fortune | cowsay

4. cmatrix command

Displays a Matrix‑style falling‑characters animation.

Install: sudo apt-get install cmatrix Run:

cmatrix

5. figlet and toilet commands

Generate large ASCII banners from text; toilet adds color effects.

Install:

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

Run examples:

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

6. oneko command

Shows a chasing cat that follows the mouse pointer; press Ctrl+C to exit.

Install: sudo apt-get install oneko Run:

oneko

7. xeyes command

Displays a pair of eyes that track the mouse cursor.

Install and run (package name xeyes) the same way as other utilities.

8. yes command

Outputs a string repeatedly until interrupted.

Run example:

yes 我很NB

9. cal 9 1752

Shows the calendar for September 1752, which had a missing period due to calendar reform.

Run:

cal 9 1752

10. shred command

Securely overwrites files to make them unrecoverable, useful for destroying sensitive data.

Typical usage example:

shred -u secret_file.txt

11. factor command

Displays the prime factorization of an integer.

Run example:

factor 12345

12. boxes command

Creates ASCII art boxes around text.

Install: sudo apt-get install boxes Example:

echo "Tongji University" | boxes

13. aafire command

Shows a fire effect made of ASCII characters.

Install: sudo apt-get install libaa-bin Run:

aafire

14. Image to ASCII (asciiview)

Convert an image to ASCII view using aview and ImageMagick.

Install: sudo apt-get install aview imagemagick Download an image and view it as ASCII:

wget http://labfile.oss.aliyuncs.com/courses/1/Linus.png
asciiview Linus.png

15. Dangerous rm command

The command sudo rm -rf /* recursively deletes every file from the root directory; it is extremely dangerous and should never be executed on production or personal systems.

Explanation: sudo: obtain root privileges. rm: remove files. -r: recursive, delete sub‑directories. -f: force, skip confirmations. /: root directory. *: all files.