Exploring the Fortune CLI Utility: A Random Adage Generator
Are you seeking a touch of wisdom or amusement during your command line sessions? Look no further than the Fortune CLI utility. This powerful tool allows you to generate random and often thought-provoking adages with a simple command. In this article, we will delve into the features and functionality of Fortune, exploring its installation process, options for customization, and showcasing examples of its usage.
Installation
Installing Fortune is a breeze. Simply use the following pip command:
pip install pnu-fortune
Getting Started
Once Fortune is installed, you can start generating adages immediately. Running the fortune command with no arguments will print out a random epigram from the fortunes database. The adages are categorized into different themes, with offensive and non-offensive options available.
Customizing Fortune
Fortune offers several options for customization. You can choose from different lists of maxims using the -a option or exclusively select potentially offensive aphorisms using the -o option. The -m option allows you to search for fortunes that match a specific pattern, while the -n option sets the longest fortune length considered “short”. Additionally, you can enable compatibility mode using the -C option to imitate the original BSD Fortune command display.
Examples
Let’s explore a couple of examples to showcase Fortune’s capabilities. The following command will generate fortunes from the “funny” category two-thirds of the time and fortunes from the “not-funny” category one-third of the time:
fortune funny not-funny
If you want to specify the probability percentages explicitly, you can use the following command:
fortune 90% funny 10% not-funny
Compatibility and Portability
Fortune is a standard Unix command and follows the PEP 8 style guide for Python code. It has been tested successfully on Windows as well. The utility was first introduced in Version 7 AT&T Unix and gained popularity with the BSD version written by Ken Arnold in the late 1970s. This re-implementation for the PNU project includes additional options and maintains compatibility with the Linux version.
Licensing
Fortune is an open-source utility and is made available under the 3-clause BSD license. This means that you can use, modify, and distribute the code according to the terms specified in the license. For more information, refer to the BSD License page.
Conclusion
The Fortune CLI utility is a fascinating addition to your command line toolkit. With its ability to generate random adages and its customizable options, Fortune can bring wisdom, amusement, and a touch of nostalgia to your terminal sessions. So why not give Fortune a try and experience the joy of stumbling upon unexpected words of wisdom.
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