Oddly Useful Linux Tools Overview

The video discusses several Linux utilities and shell scripts that the creator found surprisingly useful. Each section below covers a specific tool or concept, highlighting its functionality and practical applications. The final section provides a comprehensive overview of all the tools mentioned.

pv (Pipe Viewer) #

• Purpose: Monitors the progress of data through a pipeline.
• Analogy: Similar to cat but with a progress bar.
• Functionality:
  • Shows the amount of data transferred.
  • Displays elapsed time.
  • Provides estimated time of arrival (ETA).
  • Calculates throughput.
• Use Cases:
  • Monitoring large file copies (cp output is silent).
  • Piping data between processes where progress is important.
  • Examples: tar -cf - . | pv | gzip > backup.tar.gz

entr (Event Notify and Run) #

• Purpose: Executes a command when specific files change.
• Mechanism: Watches files for modifications and triggers a command.
• Syntax: find . -name "*.go" | entr go run main.go
• Advantages over watch: entr only runs the command when a file changes, unlike watch which runs every N seconds.
• Use Cases:
  • Automatically recompiling code upon saving.
  • Running tests when source files are modified.
  • Automating tasks related to file system events.

zoxide (Fuzzy CD) #

• Purpose: Allows rapid navigation to frequently accessed directories using fuzzy matching.
• Mechanism: Learns your directory usage patterns and ranks them.
• Default Command: z (similar to cd)
• Functionality:
  • Typing a partial name jumps to the best-matching directory.
  • Example: z desk could jump to ~/Documents/projects/personal/desktop-app.
• Advantages over cd: Eliminates the need for long, repetitive path typing.

mcfly (Fuzzy History Search) #

• Purpose: Provides an intelligent, fuzzy search for bash/zsh history.
• Mechanism: Learns your command usage and recommends based on context and frequency.
• Key Binding: Typically Ctrl+R (replaces default history search).
• Features:
  • Ranks commands for relevance.
  • More intuitive than the default Ctrl+R.
  • Similar to fzf but specifically for shell history and more "intelligent."

fzf (Fuzzy Finder) #

• Purpose: A versatile fuzzy finder for general-purpose use.
• Integration: Can be integrated with various commands and shell features.
• Examples:
  • ls | fzf: Interactively select files from ls output.
  • git branch | fzf: Select a git branch.
  • Combining with other commands for dynamic input selection.
• Comparison to mcfly: fzf is a general-purpose fuzzy finder, while mcfly is specialized for history.

hexyl (Hex Dump) #

• Purpose: A modern, visually enhanced hex viewer for binary files.
• Improvements over hexdump:
  • Colored output for different byte types.
  • Highlights differences between files (like diff).
  • Better readability for debugging binary data.
• Use Cases:
  • Inspecting executables.
  • Debugging network protocols.
  • Analyzing corrupted files.

Shell Scripts with alias #

• Concept: Using alias to create custom commands from shell scripts.
• Example 1: ls -C alias:
  • The ls -C command (long column output) can be useful but is often forgotten.
  • Creating an alias like alias lsc='ls -C' simplifies its use.
• Example 2: yt-dlp plus less alias:
  • yt-dlp -F: Lists available formats for a YouTube video.
  • Piping this to less allows scrolling through long lists.
  • alias ytf='yt-dlp -F | less' shortens the command.
• Example 3: youtube script:
  • A simple script to download audio from YouTube videos using yt-dlp.
  • #!/bin/bash
  • yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "$1"
  • Makes a complex command simple to execute: youtube <video_url>.

General Summary of Tools #

The video introduces a range of useful Linux tools, categorized by their primary function:

• Monitoring: pv for progress tracking.
• Automation: entr for reactive script execution.
• Navigation: zoxide for intelligent directory hopping.
• Shell Enhancement: mcfly and fzf for improved command history and general fuzzy finding.
• Debugging/Inspection: hexyl for advanced binary file viewing.
• Customization: Leveraging alias and simple shell scripts to streamline frequently used or complex commands.

The overarching theme is to improve efficiency and user experience on the Linux command line by introducing lesser-known but highly effective utilities and customization techniques.