# The 90s UNIX Utility That Fell Out of Favour

DevFeed: [The 90s UNIX Utility That Fell Out of Favour](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-90s-unix-utility-that-fell-out-of-favour-26647.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.alexellis.io/the-90s-unix-command-fell-out-of-favour/>)

Author: Alex Ellis

Published: 2025-08-15T08:09:48Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Alex Ellis' Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/alex-ellis-blog.md>)

Topics: [Unix](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/unix.md>), [Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/linux.md>), [macOS](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/macos.md>), [Bash](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bash.md>)

Tags: [bash](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bash.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [macos](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/macos.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [remote-access](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/remote-access.md>), [terminal](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/terminal.md>), [unix](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/unix.md>)

## AI overview

An essay revisits the UNIX finger utility, explaining its origins in a high-trust environment where it exposed user information such as login status, idle time, phone numbers, and email activity. It also reflects on the author's early experiences with Linux, MUD servers, telnet, and bash.

## Source excerpt

I reminisce of the days of i386, Slackware Linux, and forgotten plaintext UNIX utilities that are still on modern Macs today.