Are you a Linux user as well as a Pokemon fan? If yes, then you are in luck. There is a fun new project in Github that Pokemon fans are going to love. With this script you can bring all of your favorite Pokemon to the Linux Terminal. (It will work in Mac and iTerm2, too.) The following instructions will show you how to do it.
Install Tilix
Pokemon terminal is compatible with both Tilix and Terminology terminals, but this guide is going to focus on Tilix because it’s a bit easier to customize. The first step is to get Tilix installed on your system, change a few settings, and lock it to the launcher.
1. Start by adding the Terminix repository to apt. Tilex will be available to install after this step is complete. Open a terminal window and type:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/terminix
Now that the repository has been added, you need to update apt to make it aware of the new packages. Use the command:
sudo apt update
After apt has been updated, tell it to install the Tilix terminal with the command:
sudo apt install tilix
Configure Tilix for Pokemon
Now that Tilix is installed, you can launch it and change a few settings to make it look nicer with your new Pokemon skins.
Open the Unity Bar and type “tilix” into the search box, then click the icon to bring up a new Tilix terminal window. A warning may pop up. If it does, click OK. We’ll fix it in a moment.
Now, click on the session drop menu and select “Profiles.”
Click “Edit Profile.”
You’ll begin by clicking the “Command” tab and checking “Run command as a login shell.” This will stop the previous warning from appearing.
Navigate to the “Color” tab and select the “Solarized Light” theme from the drop menu. LazoCoder recommends a dark font color for best results, making this theme a decent choice – but feel free to customize.
While you’re on the “Color” tab, adjust the “Transparency” and “Unfocused dim” sliders as shown above. Now close the settings window, as you’re finished with it.
While Tilix is still open, take the opportunity to lock it to the launcher by right-clicking the Tilix icon and selecting “Lock to Launcher.”
Install NPM
Pokemon terminal is available on GitHub, but it’s also available through the NPM package manager. NPM is a repository of JavaScript packages, and it works a lot like apt. Installing it is a (Pokemon) snap.
Open a terminal window – or launch Tilix again – and install NPM with the command:
sudo apt install npm
The command will take a moment to complete, and you’ll see a progress bar as NPM and its dependencies are installed.
Install Pokemon Terminal
Now that NPM is installed, you can use it to put Pokemon on your desktop. All you need to do is run a quick command and edit “.bashrc” to enable the script on every launch.
In the open terminal window, type the command:
sudo npm install --global pokemon-terminal
A progress bar will appear as NPM downloads and installs Pokemon terminal just like with apt.
Your screen will look like this when the install is complete.
Now launch Tilix and try the command pokemon random to see your new script in action. If you like, you can type this manually at the beginning of every Tilix session or edit “.bashrc” to run it automatically.
Edit .bashrc
If you want to automate the script, type gedit ~/.bashrc into your terminal to bring up a text editor with your “.bashrc” configuration script. You’ll need to add a line at the very end of the file. If you want to see a random Pokemon every time you begin a new Tilix session, paste this command:
if [ "$TILIX_ID" ]; then pokemon random; clear fi
But if you have a favorite Pokemon you want to see every time you launch Tilix, add this to the bottom of “.bashrc” instead:
if [ “$TILIX_ID” ]; then pokemon NAME; clear fi
Be sure to replace NAME in the text above with a valid Pokemon, otherwise the command will fail.
Be the Very Best, Like No One Ever Was
That’s all there is to installing this fun script from LazoCoder. Now every time you open Tilix, you’re ready to send Team Rocket blasting off again – or at least have the moral support of your favorite Pokemon when you have to open your terminal and get to work.
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Aaron Phillips
Aaron Phillips writes about business and technology.
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