 Example Cowsay output | |
| Release Status | Maintained |
|---|---|
| Last Release | 3.04, 2016-06-25 |
| Language(s) | Perl |
| Developer(s) | cowsay-org |
| Website | github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay |
Cowsay is a simple program that generates ASCII art of a cow with a speech bubble with the given parameter in it. It can also generate other characters / animals using files that end in .cow or the built-in premade art using the -f (cowsay -f [name]) flag. (For example: tux)
Other commands like fortune, can be piped into Cowsay, and Cowsay can be piped into commands like lolcat.
You can use the -l flag (cowsay -l) to list the available cow files (character /
animal names)
Cowsay can be used in many things, for example: Ricing showcases (screenshots, or videos), IRC channels, code comments and etc.
Cowthink is cowsay's "thinking" alternative, which turns the speech bubble into a thinking bubble.
Available Parameters
| Options | Cow mode | Cow Eyes | Cow Tongue |
|---|---|---|---|
-b |
Borg mode | == | None |
-d |
Dead mode | XX | None |
-g |
Greedy mode | $$ | None |
-p |
Paranoid mode | @@ | None |
-s |
"Stoned" mode | ** | U-shaped |
-t |
Tired mode | -- | None |
-w |
Wired mode | OO | None |
-y |
Youthful mode | .. | None |
-e |
Custom eye mode | [Given parameter] | Default (none unless specified) |
-T |
Custom tongue mode | Default (none unless specified) | [given parameter] |
Trivia
- Cowsay was debian's package of the day back in 2007 [1]
- Larry the Cow (
emerge --moo) and Cowsay share the same ASCII art, Debian's Larry ASCII arts don't. - There is a graphical version of this program called xcowsay.