Why hackers moved from grep to ack
1 hacker described this switch in public comments. Their words, with links to the originals.
What hackers said about the move
“I think i moved from grep to ack, then jumped due to perf to ag and for unremembered reasons to pt.”mijoharas, 2026-03-24original comment ↗
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grep vs ack
| grep | ack | |
|---|---|---|
| Hackers who recommend | 0 | 1 |
| Hackers who criticize | 0 | 0 |
| Moved away from it | 1 | 1 |
| Moved to it | 0 | 1 |
Counts are distinct hackers in the sampled comments, not market share.
Criticism of grep
No further criticism of grep captured yet.
Praise for ack
No further praise for ack captured yet.