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Find Duplicate Files (based on size first, then MD5 hash)
This dup finder saves time by comparing size first, then md5sum, it doesn't delete anything, just lists them.

Set laptop display brightness
Run as root. Path may vary depending on laptop model and video card (this was tested on an Acer laptop with ATI HD3200 video). $ cat /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness to discover the possible values for your display.

Copy file to a Windows/Samba share without mounting it
This commando copies the file (which must reside in the current directory) to //<server>/<share-name>/<subdirectory>/<file> through the CIFS protocol (Samba share or Windows Share). It doesn't require you to mount the filesystem first. --directory "<subdirectory>" may be omitted in order to copy the file the the root of the share. The "%password" part may also be omitted. If doing so, smbclient will ask for the password interactively. To copy a file from a Windows/Samba share, change "put" for "get". $ smbclient --user=user%password --directory "<subdirectory>" --command "get <file>" //<server>/<share-name>

Ping a URL sending output to file and STDOUT
The tee (as in "T" junction) command is very useful for redirecting output to two places.

Install pip with Proxy
Installs pip packages defining a proxy

Which processes are listening on a specific port (e.g. port 80)
swap out "80" for your port of interest. Can use port number or named ports e.g. "http"

Clear terminal Screen
Probably the quickest / easiest way to clear the screen.

Print current runlevel
Prints current runlevel and system start time. On older systems it also shows the last init state. Pretty useful on remote systems, pretty useless on local ones :)

ubuntu tasksel
The command tasksel allows the choice of packages from the command line to get predefined configurations for specific services (usually this option is offered during installation).

Find and delete oldest file of specific types in directory tree
This works on my ubuntu/debian machines. I suspect other distros need some tweaking of sort and cut. I am sure someone could provide a shorter/faster version.


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