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pls

FAQ

Here are some questions you might have about pls , and the answers to those questions.

Why the name pls ?

The name pls is a play on the ls(1) command. I picked it because it was short, memorable and only one keypress away from ls(1). If you prefer a different name you can always alias it.

Terminal window
alias rls="pls"

Does pls support Windows?

No. pls , being a tool for pros, favours operating systems that are popular with those users, which Windows is not. This may change in the future if there is considerable demand and there are open-source contributions towards that goal.

Is pls a replacement for ls(1)?

No. pls is an alternative, not a replacement, for ls(1). It some more features, prints prettier output and offers a lot of customisation, which make it ideal for human usage, but for scripts, ls(1) is still a better choice because it is tried, tested and trusted, not to mention ubiquitous.

Why build an ls(1) alternative?

IDEs and code editors use helpful UI patterns like icons and colors to disambiguate files and provide more information about them like their file type and VCS status. pls brings these features to the terminal.

Why build another ls(1) alternative?

None of the existing ls(1) alternatives have features that make pro workflows easier or more pleasant. pls is the first ls(1) alternative that focuses on the niche demographic of pros who will appreciate a powerful feature set and deep customisation.

Why Rust and not <language>?

Rust is a good choice for CLI utilities because it enables them to be very performant. The pros don't want to see lag in a core part of your workflow.

Before I learned Rust, pls was written in Python (which was another reason it's called pls ). It seemed like a good fit at the time because it was decently fast and easy to develop and distribute, but at a certain point Python started becoming a speed bottleneck. The point being, give me a good reason, and I'll rewrite it.

Is pls better than <alternative>?

pls makes no claim of being better than any other tool, although we do try! Our claim is that pls is a better fit for developers and pros because it has some powerful, and thus complex, features that not everyone will use. If another tool has a feature you miss, feel free to open an issue or better yet, a pull request! See how pls compares to other ls(1) alternatives.

Is pls free?

pls is free in both senses of the word. It does not cost anything to download and install and the source code is freely available to read, modify and distribute. pls is licensed under version 3, or later, of the GNU GPL.