August 28th, 2024

Obsolete Command-Line Tools of Linux

The article highlights obsolete Linux command-line tools and their modern alternatives, emphasizing the need for transition to enhance functionality and security, recommending tools like tmux, ip, and ssh.

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Obsolete Command-Line Tools of Linux

The article discusses obsolete command-line tools in Linux and their modern alternatives, emphasizing the importance of transitioning to newer tools for improved functionality and security. It highlights several outdated tools, including screen, ifconfig, netstat, nslookup, fdisk, route, arp, traceroute, telnet, and wget, explaining their limitations and the risks associated with their continued use. For each tool, a modern alternative is suggested: tmux for screen, ip for ifconfig, ss for netstat, dig and host for nslookup, gdisk and parted for fdisk, ip route for route, ip neigh for arp, mtr for traceroute, ssh for telnet, and curl for wget. The article concludes by encouraging users to adopt these modern tools to enhance their systems' security and performance, noting that while the transition may require some adjustment, the benefits are significant.

- Many traditional Linux command-line tools are now considered obsolete due to better alternatives.

- Using outdated tools can pose security risks and limit functionality.

- Modern alternatives like tmux, ip, and ssh offer enhanced features and security.

- Transitioning to newer tools is recommended for improved performance and adherence to best practices.

- The article serves as a guide for users to update their command-line toolset effectively.

Link Icon 10 comments
By @lagniappe - 8 months
In my most charitable assumption, this is just ragebait farming engagement. Nobody would endanger their own safety saying these things in a serious tone. Not in public, anyway.
By @LeoPanthera - 8 months
This entire article is the product of ChatGPT. Probably including that awful image at the top.
By @ggm - 8 months
Basically it's about the "ip" command and some net tools. The rest are a sideshow. And almost all things are both available, or even installed. So.. its a rant in disguise.

"stop being old people" ok...

meanwhile, over in BSD.. these tools work fine

(I do however think tmux is a better choice than screen)

By @jijji - 8 months
telnet is always going to be useful for connecting to a TCP port that might be open, not just deprecated port 23.
By @emilfihlman - 8 months
Maybe they are more modern and with more features and so on, but the default user experience absolutely sucks on tmux and ip, which makes using them useless on servers you don't control, and asking to "oh lemme just drop my config here" is just insane as a default.

Which is why the older tools don't go away.

By @molticrystal - 8 months
A lot of these utilities are still useful in limited environments. OpenWrt routers still use the network based ones, and for most of the others busybox implements them with just a few lines of code. In some cases the simplicity also aids with scripting in the limited environments as well.
By @29athrowaway - 8 months
Also: iptables to nftables
By @goshx - 8 months
Don’t you dare touching my favorite tools :)