Still using these obsolete Linux commands? They might be popular from the olden days but perhaps it is time to look for alternatives.
Listed programs:
scp- “potentially deprecated”e/fgrep- replaced withgrepflagsnet-tools, which includesnetstatarprouteiptunnel*nameif
ifconfigiwconfigiptables
Replacement:
-
scp→rsyncorsftp -
egrep-->grep -E -
fgrep-->grep -F -
netstat-->ssarp-->ip nroute-->ip routeiptunnel-->ip tunnelnameif-->ip link
-
ifconfig-->ip -
iwconfig-->iw -
iptables-->nftables
rsync is cool but is nowhere a replacement for scp’s main use case. scp actually uses your SSH client settings file, whereas rsync doesn’t (it does have the opportunity to use a SSH command, which you then have to setup separately).
-
They can take
ifconfigfrom my cold, dead hands. I will not learnipscptoo. What even is anrsync? BS that’s what!ifconfigactually uses a deprecated kernel interface and just can’t do the thingsipcan.
The thing about these deprecated tools is that the replacements either suck, are too convoluted, don’t give you the same info, or are overly verbose/obtuse.
ifconfiggave you the most relevant information for the network interfaces almost like a dashboard: IP, MAC address, link status, TX/RX packet counts and errors, etc. You can get that withipbut you’ve got to add a bunch of arguments, make multiple calls with different arguments, and it’s still not quite whatifconfigwas.Similarly,
iwconfiggave you that same “dashboard” like information for your wireless adapters. I useiwto configure butiwconfigwas my go-to for viewing useful information about it. Don’t get me started on how much I hateiw’s syntax and verbosity.They can pry
scpout of my cold dead hands.At least
nftablesis syntax-compatible.scpthe command isn’t deprecated, but the SCP protocol is. The command internally uses the SFTP protocol (with OpenSSH 9+)ref: OpenSSH SCP deprecation in RHEL 9: What you need to know
How about an article like
“Clickbait Headlines You Should Not Use Anymore”
Why did they even get rid of the net-tools stuff? Since everyone is still using them why not just bring them back? I don’t see how they can be a security issue. When I set up a new distro one of the first things I do is install it again.
Even the article says that the reason scp is so popular is that it copies the cp syntax. Why constantly force people to relearn jobs they already know how to do?
Rustscan is supposed to be so much faster than nmap but I still use nmap because I can’t be bothered learning another tool. Just use the same syntax for gods sake.






