Should curl be included in Ubuntu by Default

Development Discussion
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I almost always have to install curl to install some software these days. Is it time for curl to be included by default in the Ubuntu repository? What do you think? Are you a programmer that uses curl?

Why is cURL not installed by default?

On persons answer: Why should it be, when wget works as well?

Difference Between wget VS curl

Difference Between wget VS curl

wget and curl are the commands that are used to HTTP requests without any GUI or software, rather we use the Terminal in Linux that provides the respective output or message. The commands are very useful for web crawling, web scraping, testing RESTful APIs, etc.

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I’m not sure why you mean by that; a quick CLI enquiry and I can see the curl package in Ubuntu repositories back to trusty or 14.04 (as far back as rmadison goes; ie. ESM + supported + development)

A number of Ubuntu ISOs do include it by default too, eg. Server, and some flavor(s) too (eg. Lubuntu but there maybe more).

Myself I’m happy with wget, but curl was included on those ISOs I listed as developers felt it was required (wget too is included on both the ISOs I mentioned).

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Not so. Try doing this:

wget wttr.in and all you'll get is an index.html file downloaded

But if you do

curl wttr.in you'll receive a full weather report in ASCII!

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I think his point that, although the package may be in the Distro repository, the tool is not part of the default set of utilities included as part of the Distro's default installation.

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Yes Eric now days I always end up.installing it for some needed software program..

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Agreed with this. Every install of any Linux distribution I need curl at one point or another.

I also always need git, which is another package I wish was installed out-of-the-box on UM.

My example is setting up Neovim and the list of plugins I use using Vim Plug, where I need both curl to install Vim Plug and git to load the plugins.

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So as to keep the Distro size low enough to fit on a DVD, I suspect those creating the Distro bundle are trying to rationalize avoiding duplicate functionality represented by various packages and, somehow, choose which tool performs a wider set of functions, or more of what they consider "critical functions", as part of the default install package list.

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Well there are minimal installs and most people use a USB drive these days.

Just as a side note I was going to make a Windows 11 installation media for a friend. I had up to a 64 gig USB drive, it wouldn’t fit on that. I was not about to go and buy a 128 USB drive to help someone install Windows! There are 4 editions on the installation media Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise. But that is still over 15 gigs an edition.

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