Installing modern commands with tasksel
Command Line – Modernizing Commands

© Lead Image © adiruch, 123RF.com
Many traditional commands now have modern replacements. With tasksel, you can install all of them in a single step.
Many basic Linux commands date back to the beginnings of Unix. In over 50 years, many have changed only in minor ways, such as supporting terabytes as a measurement of memory. Yet distributions continue to include these traditional commands by default, because they are familiar and good enough for most purposes.
In the past decade or so, replacement commands have started to appear. A few are official updates, such as Debian's apt
(which tidies apt-get
) or Fedora's dnf
(which is meant to replace yum
and its obscure code). These updates replace older software seamlessly, but many other replacement commands remain an option.
Any day now, I expect a new distribution to appear that installs some of the modern replacements by default, but I finally got tired of waiting. I devised my own simple hack to provide a thoroughly modern set of commands with the help of Debian's tasksel [1] and its beginner-friendly recipes.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.