Separate out potentially offensive cow files in cowsay

Asked by Frank Hunleth

I work with a group that teaches kids how to program. For learning the Linux command line, we wanted to throw in some fun commands in addition to the standard ones. Introducing cowsay would be great except that some of the included cow files (e.g., sodomized-sheep, etc.) will certainly offend some parents. If nothing else, they'll distract from the lesson.

The kids primarily use Ubuntu and would use apt-get to install cowsay. I am unfamiliar with how the package management process works, but would it be possible to split the cowsay package into cowsay and cowsay-extras where the cow and maybe a few non-offensive others are in the base package? Or could there be a cowsay-off package in a similar way that there's a fortunes-off package? The offensive cow files don't need to be removed from Ubuntu altogether. It would just be nice to avoid surprises from the benign-sounding cowsay package.

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Ubuntu cowsay Edit question
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Frank Hunleth
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François Marier (fmarier) said :
#1

The cowsay-off package is a good idea.

Would you mind filing a bug on the Debian tracker (https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting) to make sure I don't forget about it once the Debian freeze is over?

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said :
#2

I suggest you report a bug. You could also install sl (look it up. Lots of fun)

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Frank Hunleth (fhunleth) said :
#3

Thanks! Bug has been filed.

Also, thanks for the pointer to sl - that was both completely random and awesome.