9 Hilariously Fun Linux Commands You Can Try Right Now

1. cmatrix

Inspired by the "Matrix" movie, cmatrix displays a cascading stream of characters, giving your terminal a hacker‑style visual effect.

Installation

sudo apt-get install cmatrix

Run

cmatrix

2. oneko

The oneko command adds a playful animated cat that chases your mouse pointer, proving the terminal can be more than just text.

Installation

sudo apt-get install oneko

Run

oneko

3. aafire

aafire creates a small ASCII fire effect directly in your terminal, turning a plain window into a flickering blaze.

Installation

sudo apt-get install libaa-bin

Run

aafire

4. ASCIIquarium

ASCIIquarium turns your terminal into a tiny aquarium with moving fish, bubbles, and sea creatures rendered entirely in ASCII art.

Installation

cd /tmp
wget http://www.robobunny.com/projects/asciiquarium/asciiquarium.tar.gz
tar -zxvf asciiquarium.tar.gz
cd asciiquarium_1.1/
cp asciiquarium /usr/local/bin
chmod 0755 /usr/local/bin/asciiquarium

Run

asciiquarium

5. toilet

Toilet generates large, stylized text banners with various fonts and effects such as color and metal shine.

Installation

sudo apt-get install toilet

Run

toilet OpenSkill
toilet -f mono12 -F metal OpenSkill

6. sl (Steam Locomotive)

When you mistype "ls" as "sl", this command displays an animated steam locomotive chugging across your screen.

Installation

sudo apt-get install sl

Run

sl

7. xeyes

xeyes opens a pair of eyes that follow your mouse cursor, adding a whimsical visual to the X Window System.

Installation

sudo apt-get install xeyes

Run

xeyes

8. moo

The moo command displays a friendly ASCII cow that says "moo"; it is usually pre‑installed on many systems.

Run

apt-get moo

9. bb

Running the bb command launches a simple animation of a bouncing ball within the terminal.

Installation

sudo apt-get install bb

Run

bb