The Geek Diary

cowsay: Print ASCII art (by default a cow) saying or thinking something

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“cowsay” is a fun and whimsical command-line program that allows you to generate ASCII art of a cow (though it can be customized to display other characters) along with a speech bubble or thought bubble containing a message. When executed, “cowsay” takes the provided text and outputs it in a speech bubble above the ASCII art representation of a cow.

The primary purpose of “cowsay” is to add a touch of humor and entertainment to the command line. It provides a playful way to display messages or statements by incorporating them into the dialogue of a character, represented by the cow in this case. The resulting ASCII art can be used for decorative purposes, to enhance the presentation of messages, or simply to bring a smile to your face.

Here’s an example of how “cowsay” can be used:

$ cowsay "Hello, world!"
 ______
< Hello, world! >
 ------
        \   ^__^
         \  (oo)\_______
            (__)\       )\/\
                ||----w |
                ||     ||

In the example above, the command cowsay Hello, world! is executed. The output consists of an ASCII art representation of a cow with a speech bubble containing the message “Hello, world!”.

“Cowsay” offers various options to customize the appearance of the ASCII art and speech bubbles. You can choose different characters, modify the shape of the speech bubble, change the eyes of the cow, and more. These options allow you to create unique and amusing displays to suit your preferences.

While “cowsay” is primarily a playful tool, it can also be used creatively in scripts, messages, or as a way to add a touch of fun to your command-line interactions.

cowsay Command Examples

1. Print an ASCII cow saying “hello, world”:

# cowsay "hello, world"

2. Print an ASCII cow saying text from stdin: 

# echo "hello, world" | cowsay

3. List all available art types:

# cowsay -l

4. Print the specified ASCII art saying “hello, world”:

# cowsay -f art "hello, world"

5. Print a dead thinking ASCII cow:

# cowthink -d "I'm just a cow, not a great thinker..."

6. Print an ASCII cow with custom eyes saying “hello, world”:

# cowsay -e characters "hello, world"

Summary

In summary, “cowsay” is a command-line program that generates ASCII art of a cow (or other characters) along with a speech bubble or thought bubble containing a provided message. It adds a lighthearted and humorous element to the command line, allowing you to display text in a playful and entertaining way.

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