Coolest thing you can do using Linux that you can't do with Windows or on a Mac

Author: Vivek Gite Last updated: February 3, 2008 8 comments

Interesting post, from the blog:

Category	List of Unix and Linux commands
File Management	cat
Firewall	Alpine Awall • CentOS 8 • OpenSUSE • RHEL 8 • Ubuntu 16.04 • Ubuntu 18.04 • Ubuntu 20.04
Network Utilities	dig • host • ip • nmap
OpenVPN	CentOS 7 • CentOS 8 • Debian 10 • Debian 8/9 • Ubuntu 18.04 • Ubuntu 20.04
Package Manager	apk • apt
Processes Management	bg • chroot • cron • disown • fg • jobs • killall • kill • pidof • pstree • pwdx • time
Searching	grep • whereis • which
User Information	groups • id • lastcomm • last • lid/libuser-lid • logname • members • users • whoami • who • w
WireGuard VPN	Alpine • CentOS 8 • Debian 10 • Firewall • Ubuntu 20.04

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8 comments… add one

Matt Feb 3, 2008 @ 22:45

Rather childish, juvenile, etc. but amused me greatly when I found out:

cat /dev/hda1 > /dev/dsp
raw audio data (wav files I think) are played appropriately, the rest sounds like varying types of techno/house (dependent on what file system your drive has)

Or if you don’t want garbage in your term window when testing devices, instead of
cat /dev/input/event0 > /dev/dsp

Though these two little diversions aren’t extremely useful or impressive, it’s the little low level hacks that endear me to Linux. For example, I once helped a friend surpass some file system restrictions that partition magic had by a boot cd, a reverse ssh tunnel, and disk druid.

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aa Feb 3, 2008 @ 23:32

Coolest thing I can do using Linux that I canâ€™t do with Windows or on a Mac is I can do everything I want with it but not pay a penny.

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James Feb 5, 2008 @ 10:45

The coolest things I can do with Linux that I can’t do with Mac or Windows… I can read/write/correct files on their file systems and they can’t read/write etc to each other or me. More so I can use fuse and cross mount each of them as if they were local to my system. This allows me to transfer files from one to the other through my system that they can’t get to each other save by sneaker net.

Next has to be dmidecode. It allows me to directly query BIOS, motherboard and peripherals getting exact details about state and components. A lot to be learned on how to use this one for sure.

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rambhai Feb 5, 2008 @ 17:10

well the coolest thing is i can say that the system is MINE and its freeeeeee

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Michel Matton Feb 8, 2008 @ 0:52

How about doing everything without having to install pirated software!

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Jonathan Peck Aug 21, 2008 @ 23:36

I can do whatever I want!
My kernel got fucked up recently, but I was able to restore it because I had access to it and I could modify it.

On Windows or Mac I would have needed assistance from a computer technician and it might have taken several days to fix instead of the two minutes it took with Linux!

I love Linux…

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justgage Nov 27, 2009 @ 6:17

I can think of many things!

I can install a program with a single line, “yum install [app]”
I can get photos off of my phone via bluetooth as easy as a flashdrive (no software needed to be installed)
I can mount CD’s like it was nothing.
I can change my Window Manager rather then trying to do so by laying crappy programs that hack the one you already have.
I can change anything I wish to change with a little know how
I can yank files from any old harddrive who’s OS got messed up.
Just the fact that I can use the unix command line is awesome (although OSX can do this)

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Devon Nov 2, 2011 @ 21:48

I can freely modify my system to do what i want it to do.
Hell i dont even have to install antivirus software.
plus setting up packages and other software is so easy and compatible.
The command line is very simple and saves you alot of frustration.
Plus in linux your a Normal User,Unlike windows it seems your always superuser
I love being able to do what i want and not what Microsoft wants.
i recommend anyone wanting to program or look into pentest security to switch to linux.

But out of all these its “OPEN SOURCE”
gotta love it!

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