This is my attempt to show where key parts of the Unix/Linux command hierarchy came from. Where a tool originated on Unix and was cloned on Linux, I just mention the original. I do not include visual development tools (IDEs). This list is perennially out of date. Please use this contact form to let me know of changes and, if I’m still active in this, I will consider your update. As they say, TIA.
The List
Acronyms are at the bottom.
Name | Type | Origin |
---|---|---|
addr2line |
c |
|
apk |
c |
Alpine |
apply |
c |
|
apropos |
c |
UCB |
arch |
c |
|
ar |
c |
Unix |
as |
c |
Unix |
at |
c |
Unix |
awk |
c |
Unix(Aho, Weinberger, Kernighan) |
banner |
c |
|
basename |
c |
|
bash |
cli |
FSF |
batch |
c |
|
bc |
c |
|
biff |
c |
UCB |
bison |
c |
FSF (clone of yacc) |
cal |
c |
Unix |
calendar |
c |
Unix |
cap_mkdb |
c |
UCB |
captoinfo |
c |
UCB |
cat |
c |
Unix |
cc |
c |
Unix |
c++ |
c |
Unix |
chflags |
c |
|
chfn |
c |
UCB |
chgrp |
c |
Unix |
chmod |
c |
Unix |
chpass |
c |
UCB |
chsh |
c |
UCB |
clang |
c |
|
clear |
c |
UCB |
clojure |
l |
|
cmp |
c |
Unix |
col |
c |
|
colrm |
c |
|
column |
c |
|
comm |
c |
Unix |
compress |
c |
|
corelist |
c |
|
cp |
c |
Unix |
cpio |
c |
Unix |
cpp |
c |
Unix, |
crontab |
c |
|
csh |
cli |
UCB |
csplit |
c |
Unix |
ctags |
c |
|
ctfconv |
c |
|
ctfdump |
c |
|
ctfstrip |
c |
|
cu |
c |
Unix |
CUPS |
ss |
Apple |
cut |
c |
Unix |
cvs |
c/ss |
Dick Grune |
date |
c |
Unix |
dbm |
c |
Unix |
dc |
c |
Unix |
dd |
c |
Unix |
deroff |
c |
UCB |
df |
c |
Unix |
diff3 |
c |
Unix |
diff |
c |
Unix |
dig |
c |
|
dirname |
c |
|
ditroff |
c |
Bell Labs(Kernighan) |
dnf |
c |
Linux |
doas |
c |
OpenBSD |
du |
c |
Unix |
dump |
c |
Unix |
echo |
c |
Unix |
ed |
c |
Unix |
egrep |
c |
Unix |
eject |
c |
|
eject |
c |
Various |
encrypt |
c |
|
env |
c |
Unix |
ex |
c |
UCB |
expand |
c |
|
expr |
c |
Unix |
ext* |
c |
Linux |
false |
c |
Unix |
fgen |
c |
|
fgrep |
c |
Unix |
file |
c |
Unix (I wrote the Linux impl) |
find |
c |
Unix |
finger |
c |
UCB |
flex |
c |
FSF Clone of lex |
fmt |
c |
UCB |
fold |
c |
|
from |
c |
|
fstab |
c |
Unix |
fstat |
c |
|
ftp |
c |
UCB |
fuser |
c |
|
gcc |
c |
FSF |
gcov |
c |
UCB |
gdb |
c |
FSF |
gencat |
c |
|
getcap |
c |
|
getconf |
c |
|
getent |
c |
(Sun: part of YP) |
getopt |
c |
|
getopt |
c |
USG |
ghostscript(gs) |
c |
Peter Deutsch |
git |
c/ss |
Linus,(self-disparagingly self-named) |
gprof |
c |
FSF |
gprof |
c |
Unix |
grep |
c |
|
grep |
c |
Unix |
groups |
c |
|
gunzip |
c |
|
gzcat |
c |
|
gzexe |
c |
|
gzip |
c |
|
h2ph |
c |
|
h2xs |
c |
|
Haskell |
l |
|
head |
c |
Unix |
help |
c |
|
help |
c |
Multiple |
hexdump |
c |
|
host |
c |
|
hostname |
c |
|
hoststat |
c |
|
htpasswd |
c |
|
httpd |
c |
many |
id |
c |
Unix |
ifconfig |
c |
UCB |
indent |
c |
UCB |
info |
c |
FSF |
install |
c |
Numerous |
ipcrm,ipcs |
c |
USG |
java |
l |
Sun(James Gosling), maint by Oracle |
join |
c |
Unix |
jot |
c |
|
kdump |
c |
|
keynote |
c |
|
kill |
c |
Unix |
ksh |
cli |
Bell Labs (David Korn) |
ktrace |
c |
|
lam |
c |
|
last |
c |
|
lastcomm |
c |
|
last |
c |
Unix |
ldap |
c |
|
ld |
c |
Unix |
ldd |
c |
|
leave |
c |
|
less |
c |
UCB |
lex |
c |
Unix |
libnetcfg |
c |
|
libtool |
c |
|
llvm-config |
c |
|
ln |
c |
Unix |
lndir |
c |
|
locale |
c |
|
locate |
c |
|
lock |
c |
|
logger |
c |
|
login |
c |
|
logname |
c |
|
look |
c |
|
lorder |
c |
Unix |
lpq |
c |
UCB |
lpr |
c |
Unix/UCB |
lprm |
c |
UCB |
ls |
c |
Unix |
lua |
l |
|
m4 |
c |
Unix |
machine |
c |
|
c |
||
c |
Unix |
|
mailx |
c |
UCB |
make |
c |
Unix |
man |
c |
Unix |
mandoc |
c |
OpenBSD |
md5 |
c |
|
merge |
c |
|
mesg |
c |
uCB |
mixerctl |
c |
|
mkdep |
c |
|
mkdir |
c |
Unix |
mkfs |
c |
Unix |
mklocale |
c |
|
mktemp |
c |
|
more |
c |
UCB |
mount |
c |
Unix |
mt |
c |
Unix |
mv |
c |
Unix |
nc/netcat |
c |
|
netstat |
c |
UCB |
newsyslog |
c |
UCB |
NFS |
FS |
Sun |
nfsstat |
c |
Sun |
nice |
c |
Unix |
nix |
c |
Pkg manager from nixos |
nl |
c |
|
nm |
c |
Unix |
nohup |
c |
Unix |
nslookup |
c |
UCB |
objcopy |
c |
|
objdump |
c |
|
OCaml |
l |
|
od |
c |
Unix |
openrsync |
c |
OpenBSD |
openssl |
c |
OpenSSL |
otp-md5 |
c |
|
otp-rmd160 |
c |
|
otp-sha1 |
c |
|
pagesize |
c |
|
passwd |
c |
Unix |
paste |
c |
Unix |
patch |
c |
Larry Wall |
pax |
c |
|
pctr |
c |
|
perl |
l |
Larry Wall |
pgrep |
c |
|
piconv |
c |
|
pkg* |
c |
Various BSDs |
pkgsrc |
ss |
NetBSD |
pkill |
c |
|
pl2pm |
c |
|
pod2html |
c |
|
pod2man |
c |
|
pod2text |
c |
|
pod2usage |
c |
|
podchecker |
c |
|
podselect |
c |
|
pr |
c |
Unix |
printenv |
c |
Unix |
printf |
c |
Unix |
/proc |
fs |
Unix, Linux |
prove |
c |
|
ps |
c |
Unix |
purgestat |
c |
|
pwd |
c |
Unix |
python |
l |
|
quota |
c |
commands |
quota |
c |
UCB |
radius |
c |
|
ranlib |
c |
Unix |
rcs |
c/ss |
Walter Tichy |
rdist |
c |
|
rdistd |
c |
|
readelf |
c |
|
readlink |
c |
|
renice |
c |
Unix |
reset |
c |
|
rev |
c |
|
rksh |
c |
Unix |
R |
l |
Cloned from S |
rm |
c |
Unix |
rmdir |
c |
Unix |
rpcgen,rpcinfo |
c |
Sun |
rpm |
c |
Red Hat |
rs |
c |
|
rsh |
c |
UCB |
ruby |
l |
|
rup |
c |
Sun |
rusers |
c |
Sun |
rwall |
c |
UCB |
scala |
l |
|
SCCS |
c |
USG |
scp |
c |
OpenBSD |
script |
c |
UCB |
sdiff |
c |
|
sed |
c |
Unix |
sendbug |
c |
|
sendmail |
c |
UCB |
sftp |
c |
OpenBSD |
sha |
c |
|
shadow |
c |
Unix |
shar |
c |
|
sha/shasum |
c |
|
sh |
cli |
Unix |
sh |
c |
Unix |
showmount |
c |
|
signify |
c |
OpenBSD |
size |
c |
UCB |
skeyaudit |
c |
|
skey |
c |
|
skeyinfo |
c |
|
skeyinit |
c |
|
skeyprune |
c |
|
S |
l |
Bell Labs |
sleep |
c |
Unix |
smtp |
c |
Various |
sndioctl |
c |
|
snmp |
c |
Various |
sort |
c |
Unix |
spell |
c |
|
split |
c |
|
ssh |
c |
Tatu,OpenBSD |
stat |
c |
|
strings |
c |
Unix |
strip |
c |
Unix |
stty |
c |
Unix |
su |
c |
Unix |
sudo |
c |
OpenBSD |
sync |
c |
Unix |
systat |
c |
UCB? |
tail |
c |
Unix |
talk |
c |
UCB |
tar |
c |
Unix |
tee |
c |
Unix |
telnet |
c |
UCB |
test |
c |
Unix |
tftp |
c |
UCB |
tic |
c |
UCB |
time |
c |
Unix |
tmux |
c |
|
top |
c |
|
touch |
c |
Unix |
tput |
c |
UCB |
tr |
c |
Unix |
troff |
c |
Bell Labs(J Ossanna) |
true |
c |
Unix |
tset |
c |
|
tsort |
c |
Unix |
tty |
c |
Unix |
UFS |
c |
UCB |
ul |
c |
|
uname |
c |
USG |
uncompress |
c |
|
unexpand |
c |
|
unifdef |
c |
|
uniq |
c |
Unix |
units |
c |
Unix |
unvis |
c |
|
uptime |
c |
|
users |
c |
|
utmp,wtmp |
c |
|
uudecode |
c |
|
uuencode |
c |
|
vacation |
c |
|
vi |
c |
UCB |
vis |
c |
|
vmstat |
c |
UCB |
wall |
c |
UCB |
wc |
c |
Unix |
w |
c |
UCB |
what |
c |
USG |
whatis |
c |
UCB |
whereis |
c |
UCB |
which |
c |
UCB |
whoami |
c |
|
who, |
c |
am |
who |
c |
Unix |
whois |
c |
|
wmi |
c |
|
write |
c |
UCB |
xargs |
c |
|
XFS |
FS |
Linux |
X |
GUI |
MIT |
xsubpp |
c |
|
yacc |
c |
Unix |
yes |
c |
Unix |
ypcat |
c |
|
yum |
c |
Linux |
zsh |
c |
? |
Types:
- c
-
Command or other executable
- cli
-
Command Line Interpreter, or shell
- f
-
file
- fs
-
File system type
- k
-
Kernel feature
- l
-
Programming Language, usually accompanied by multiple libraries and tools
- ss
-
subsystem
Sources:
- FSF
-
Free Software Foundation
- FreeBSD
-
The FreeBSD project / team members
- Linux
-
Means I know the program came from some Linux project, not sure which.
- NetBSD
-
The NetBSD project / team members
- OpenBSD
-
The OpenBSD project / team members
- UCB
-
University of California at Berkeley (BSD 2.x, BSD 4.x), Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG)
- Unix
-
Original Bell Labs Research Unix. Offically: not an acronym. Unofficially: Eunached Multics.
- USG
-
Unix Support Group, a non-Bell-Labs part of AT&T