What feature/utility/app are you surprised is not installed by default in Linux distributions?

I think most people (including myself) prefer a minimal desktop by default, and then proceed to install only the software they need. Nevertheless, it always surprises me when I log in to a system that doesn't have vim.

less, I don't remember what distro it was, but there wasn't less. There was more though.

git not installed in ubuntu based distro was the shock for me.

Git. I feel like that is a pretty important part of any linux os nowadays

htop

KDE Connect on KDE distros, just feels part of the KDE experience

git really should be installed by default these days

A Doom-clone. I mean, come on.

Seriously tho, Gparted for how useful it is.

git isn't in Arch's base-devel

Nano (or pico). I had to use vi one time 😭

tmux, htop, vim

Traceroute.

I am surprised that vi is often available, but not vim. It's really annoying on many RHEL based distros, because I am so used to typing vim. Otherwise there is just git I deem essential.

git rsync htop `

netstat curl and git

IMO nothing. As long as it can detect network I can install whatever tools I need.

Definitely git

useradd - I just wanted to give a friend my notebook for a python lecture and thought I could just add him as a new user. Apparently not by default.

vim

openssh-server, how can you connect to your PC from elsewhere without sshd ?!?

• Multimedia/ h264 codecs ??
• KDE/GSconnect
• Something like Arch's downgrade package + an archive of package versions
• Hardware video acceleration support is sorely lacking
• Picture-in-picture in Gnome's Wayland (bug that a gnome-shell extension fixes!)

First installs for me are always vim and tmux.

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ncdu for analyzing disk space usage in TUI.

I'm always shocked that other distros haven't made their own version of Yast from opensuse

Let's try the other way around: what default apps are pre installed that really don't need or should not be?

I get that most distros try to give a good out of the box desktop for the average user, while also saving time for who is (trying to) providing services or building machines to sell but it can get annoying booting into a fresh install, take a look at the defaults and go "nah, that's going away, and that, that and the other".

I'm not advocating for LFS but sometimes I wish we could get an option to install just what is necessary to make the hardware run and a chosen desktop or window manager and from there install whatever we may need.

Debian, sudo, at least when ever I install it without a desktop.

edit: I'm dumb af, it tells you right in the installer, I just never read it

htop, distrobox and in some cases Flatpak!

Edit: after reading the comments I want to add curl and git, seriously, why aren't those a default?!

Not a specific distro per se but I'm shocked by how many minified docker images do not include which I've wasted so much time trying to figure out why a build failed with some tool missing after I explicitly installed that tool only to find deep down in a script somewhere a tool=$(which tool) >/dev/null in there failing and eating the error message! Remember folks always which which first to avoid such issues ;)

nslookup quite a few times I'd try and resolve a domain name only to find out the command isn't available and I'd need to google what package adds it.

dhcpcd (Arch)

The first couple commands I run after install:

$ sudo apt install vim
$ sudo apt autopurge libreoffice*

Mission Center, it finally brings a task manager like UI on Linux. Alternative for people not wanting to use a TUI like htop.

I always use:

• tealdeer (tldr implementation that's not slow as molasses)
• ripgrep

EPUB reader

No time shift or equivalent in neon.

Lately, jq

htop. I get that top is ancient and just about part of the definition of a standard Linux system, but damn is it unfriendly

bash-completion

C compiler

mosh, tmux, htop, vim

bash and zsh shell history suggest box aka hstr. A bash history which is sorted by the times you use a command and not in a chronological order. Sooooooo good 😉

As a dev i always need to add https://github.com/jzelinskie/faq or at least https://github.com/jqlang/jq ... might not be for everyone

udisks2.

Stacer

Telnet client

File manager necessary actions and plugins

neofetch

jed

abcde.sh

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I have a lot of SBCs, and have various ansible scripts that install stuff in "levels" depending on what I need.

Basic level is the "must-haves."

python 3-minimal, chrony, openssh-server, python 3-apt, aptitude, unattended-upgrades, boxes, figlet, dialog, apt-utils, git, htop, multitail, ncdu, sysstat, vim, tree, util-linux

There's, also "server level," "desktop level," and "demo level," for when I do training.

emacs

I realize half of you people never touch it, but come on. It's not that large a package these days.