Q: What does `sl` do?

A: `sl` displays an animated steam locomotive in ASCII art when users mistakenly type `sl` instead of `ls`. It serves as a humorous error-correction utility with visual feedback.

Q: Is `sl` free software?

A: Yes, it is distributed as free software, allowing users to run, study, modify, and redistribute it under permissive licensing terms.

Q: How old is the `sl` utility?

A: It was created in 1987 by Kazumasa Utashiro, making it over 35 years old as of 2024.

Q: Which operating systems support `sl`?

A: It is packaged for major distributions including Debian, openSUSE, Arch Linux, Gentoo (app-misc/sl), FreeBSD (games/sl), and NetBSD (games/sl).

sl

command line utility to display a steam locomotive

Software Application Command Q11246433

Facts

8 properties

Instance of: command, free software^[3]
Inception: 1987^[8]
Copyright status: copyrighted^[9]
Country of origin: Japan^[7]
Creator: Kazumasa Utashiro^[2]
Named after: steam locomotive^[4]
Software version identifier: 5.02, 5.01^[5]^[6]
Version: 5.02, 5.01

🏷️ Also known as

en sl en sl command ja sコマンド

🔖 Identifiers · 14

AUR package: sl-git
Alpine Linux package: sl
Arch Linux package: sl
Debian source package: sl
Debian stable package: sl
FreeBSD port: games/sl
Gentoo package: app-misc/sl
Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/1215jsfb
Homebrew formula name: sl
NetBSD package ID: games/sl
OpenBSD port: games/sl
OpenSUSE package: sl

Show all 14 identifiers +2

Repology project name: sl
Source code repository URL: github.com

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Instance of 2

free software, command

Country of origin 1

Japan

Creator 1

Kazumasa Utashiro

Named after 1

steam locomotive

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

sl is a command^[1].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[3] ↑ sl — instance of (P31): free software. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ sl — named after (P138): steam locomotive. wikidata.org.
[2] ↑ sl — creator (P170): Kazumasa Utashiro. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ sl — software version identifier (P348): 5.02. github.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15. github.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ sl — software version identifier (P348): 5.01. github.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15. github.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ sl — country of origin (P495): Japan. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ sl — inception (P571): 1987. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ sl — copyright status (P6216): copyrighted. wikidata.org.

Class ancestry

[1] ↑ sl is an instance of command (Q1079196) [P31, primary]. Wikidata. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). sl. Retrieved November 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/sl-q11246433

MLA “sl.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/sl-q11246433.

BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_sl-q11246433_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{sl}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/sl-q11246433}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-11}}

LLM prompt

According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): sl — https://4ort.xyz/entity/sl-q11246433 (retrieved 2026-11-11)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/sl-q11246433 · Last refreshed: November 11, 2026