LinuxCommandLibrary

screenfetch

Display system information and distribution logo

TLDR

Start screenfetch

$ screenfetch
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Take a screenshot (requires 'scrot')
$ screenfetch -s
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Specify distribution logo
$ screenfetch -A '[distribution_name]'
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Specify distribution logo and text
$ screenfetch -D '[distribution_name]'
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Strip all color
$ screenfetch -N
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SYNOPSIS

screenfetch [options]

PARAMETERS

-v
    Verbose mode: Displays debugging information.

-n
    No color: Disables colored output.

-N
    Disable ASCII art.

-t
    Truncate host name.

-d distroname
    Specify a distribution by name.

-s
    Screenshot mode: Suppresses all output except the system information.

-V
    Display version information.

-h
    Show help message and exit.

DESCRIPTION

screenfetch is a command-line tool used to generate a visually appealing and informative display of system information within a terminal.
It automatically detects the operating system distribution, kernel version, hostname, CPU, GPU, RAM usage, uptime, and other relevant system details. This information is then presented in a formatted manner, typically alongside the distribution's ASCII art logo.
Screenfetch is designed to be easily customizable, allowing users to configure which information is displayed, change the color scheme, and even substitute a custom ASCII art logo. It is often used for sharing system specifications in online forums, troubleshooting, or simply for personal interest.
It supports a wide range of Linux distributions, BSD variants, macOS, and even Windows with Cygwin or WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Because screenfetch is written in bash, it can work on almost any system that has bash. It is not intended for mission critical, automation or production tasks, it is a script designed to give a quick system summary to a person in a shell. The project appears to be mostly abandoned and its usage is not recommended in any production tasks.

CAVEATS

Screenfetch relies on external commands like 'uname', 'lsb_release', etc. for information. If these commands are missing or misconfigured, the displayed information may be inaccurate. Also, development of the project appears to be abandoned.

CUSTOMIZATION

Users can customize screenfetch's output by modifying the script itself or by creating custom configuration files. This allows for fine-grained control over which information is displayed and how it is formatted.

ALTERNATIVES

Several alternative tools like neofetch provide similar functionality with potentially more features or active development.

HISTORY

screenfetch was created as a simple bash script to display system information in a visually appealing way. It gained popularity for its ease of use and customization options. Over time, it has been improved and updated by numerous contributors to support a wider range of operating systems and hardware configurations. The project began development around 2010 and gained traction as a tool for quickly showcasing system setups in online forums and communities. Development appears to have slowed dramatically in recent years and there have been very few commits to the project in recent times, including to resolve any bugs or issues that have been identified.

SEE ALSO

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