apt-moo

Print a cow easter egg

$ apt moo

apt-moo
apt moo

-h, --help
    Display this help message and exit

--version
    Output version information and exit

The apt-moo command is a whimsical Easter egg bundled with the APT package manager on Debian-based Linux distributions. Instead of performing any package management tasks, it displays a delightful ASCII art of a cow uttering the phrase "Have you mooed today?", inspired by the classic cowsay utility.

This lighthearted feature was added to bring a smile to system administrators and users who discover it accidentally or through curiosity. Typing apt moo or apt-moo in the terminal triggers the output, which includes a small header with the APT version and architecture before the cow artwork.

It's not intended for production use or scripting but serves as a fun reminder of the playful side of open-source software development. The command is available in APT versions 1.0 and later, making it a staple for those exploring apt subcommands via apt help. Discovering apt-moo often leads users down a rabbit hole of other hidden gems in Linux tools.

Purely humorous; does not perform package operations. May not exist on non-Debian systems or older APT versions.

Prints:
(__)
(oo)
/------\/
/ | ||
* /\---/\
~~ ~~
|| ||
"Have you mooed today?"

Introduced in APT 1.0 (April 2014) by developer Julian Andres Klode as a joke subcommand. Quickly became a beloved Easter egg, referenced in documentation and memes.

cowsay(1), apt(8), aptitude(8)