15 Fun Linux Commands to Play and Learn in Your Terminal

1. rev command

Reverses each input line. rev Example: input shiyanlou produces ulanyihs.

2. asciiview command

Install aview and imagemagick first.

sudo apt-get install aview

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Then run:

asciiview shiyanlou.png -driver curses

3. sl command

Displays an animated train moving across the screen.

sudo apt-get install sl

sl

4. aafire command

Shows a fire effect in the terminal.

sudo apt-get install libaa-bin

aafire

5. cmatrix command

Displays the classic Matrix rain effect.

sudo apt-get install cmatrix

cmatrix

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

6. factor command

Factorizes numbers, useful for simple math problems.

factor 60

7. oneko command

Shows a cat that follows the mouse cursor.

sudo apt-get install oneko

$oneko

Press Ctrl+C to exit.

8. boxes command

Wraps text or code with ASCII art boxes.

sudo apt-get install boxes

echo "gaoxiaoyunwei" | boxes

Or use a specific style:

echo "gaoxiaoyunwei" | boxes -d dog

9. xeyes command

Displays a pair of eyes that follow the mouse pointer.

sudo apt-get install xeyes

xeyes

10. pv command

Shows a progress bar effect similar to subtitles appearing character by character.

sudo apt-get install pv

echo "welcome to shiyanlou, you can learn DevOps by doing" | pv -qL 10

11. yes command

Continuously outputs a specified string until interrupted.

yes hello,world

12. bastet command

Play Tetris in the terminal.

sudo apt-get install bastet

13. ninvaders command

Space Invaders game for the command line.

sudo apt install ninvaders

ninvaders

Use arrow keys to move and space to shoot.

14. pacman4console command

Classic Pac-Man game in the console.

sudo apt install pacman4console

pacman4console

15. greed command

Number‑based movement game where you control a flashing "@".

sudo apt install greed

greed

Use arrow keys to move; the game ends when no moves are possible.