Ubuntu – What are “Super Cow Powers” and why doesn’t the aptitude have them

aptitudeUbuntu

sudo aptitude help
aptitude 0.4.11.11
Usage: aptitude [-S fname] [-u|-i]
   aptitude [options] <action> ...
  Actions (if none is specified, aptitude will enter interactive mode):

 ...

 This aptitude does not have Super Cow Powers.

Best Answer

I think it's referring to apt-get moo:

$ apt-get moo  
         (__)  
         (oo)  
   /------\/  
  / |    ||  
 *  /\---/\  
    ~~   ~~  
...."Have you mooed today?"...

To quote Wikipedia:

aptitude states that, unlike Advanced Packaging Tool, it "does not have Super Cow Powers". In apt-get "super cow powers" can be found by issuing the command apt-get moo. However, in aptitude issuing moo will give the user a prompt saying there are no easter eggs.

However, by issuing aptitude -v moo, then aptitude -vv moo, and so on the user will see a series of statements telling them to go away, some ending with a picture not unlike the original apt-get easter egg. Different versions of the program have different sequences.

And, as wRAR commented, the term “Super Cow Powers” is a direct quote from apt-get --help:

This APT has Super Cow Powers.

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