Better GNU Tools

Here are some good alternatives to common GNU tools that are faster and have better defaults.

du → dust
du shows disk usage but the output is hard to parse. dust gives you a visual representation with colored bars that make it easy to see what’s eating your storage at a glance.

ls → eza
ls lists files but it’s plain and limited. eza is a modernized version with colors, git status integration, tree views, and human-readable file sizes built in.

tar → ouch
tar handles archives but the syntax is notoriously clunky. ouch is user-friendly and supports multiple formats with simpler commands that actually make sense.

find → fd
find locates files but the syntax is verbose and unintuitive. fd is faster and simpler, supports regex, has color output, and better defaults without sacrificing power.

grep → ripgrep
grep searches text but it’s slower on large codebases. ripgrep is blazing fast, optimized for code, respects .gitignore files, and supports richer options without complex flags.

cd → zoxide
cd is basic directory navigation with no memory. zoxide is a smart directory jumper that remembers frequently used paths and lets you jump with fuzzy matching, reducing keystrokes.