Why no traceroute by default?

[avpblogs]

Hey All,

I just installed Linux Mint 9 and I see the same thing as before,we need to manually install a basic tool like traceroute as it doesn't come installed by default.

Funnily,lesser used tools like ssh are already bundled in Mint/Ubuntu.

Why do you think this is?

Isn't traceroute a normal and more used utility like in Windows,why the seperate installation or am I missing something?

[Colin-uk Veteran]

I guess its down to the author/creator.

although, on linux, i have used ssh more than ive used traceroute.

probably because linux is used more for servers, and ssh is the common method of logging into them remotely.

traceroute is more of a diagnostic thing when things arent working right

[markwolfe Veteran]

Maybe a mint thing? I have traceroute on my Xubuntu.

[avpblogs]

  On 08/06/2010 at 11:00, Colin-uk said:

I guess its down to the author/creator.

although, on linux, i have used ssh more than ive used traceroute.

probably because linux is used more for servers, and ssh is the common method of logging into them remotely.

traceroute is more of a diagnostic thing when things arent working right

Can be because Linux is used more for servers but still desktop geared OS like Mint having ssh and no traceroute is bit funny because desktop users might be more familiar with running diagnostics then logging to servers.

I think Ubuntu too doesn't have it installed by default.

[HawkMan]

Ubuntu doesn't come with traceroute by default, but it does come with tracepath it seems which oes pretty much the same thing. probably min also comes with tracepath then. It does come with traceroute6 though, which I assume is for ipv6, on that it actually comes with both traceroute6 and tracepath6, so why they decided to drop regular traceroute I don't know.

[avpblogs]

Just dug around in Mint and found it comes with My Traceroute (mtr from terminal),same for Ubuntu I think.

It is heavier than traceroute though but more detailed.