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
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.
-
Mecha Systems Introduces Linux Handheld
Mecha Systems has revealed its Mecha Comet, a new handheld computer powered by – you guessed it – Linux.
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.