banner(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, banner is the illumos banner at /usr/bin/banner. It takes only strings and has no options. NetBSD banner adds -b, -f and -l for background, foreground and font. The OpenBSD page documents no options, like Solnix.
The manual pages
- Solnix: banner(1) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - OpenBSD: banner(1) 8.0
- NetBSD: banner(1) 11.0
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos banner at /usr/bin/banner, published in pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man. No other variants are shipped. The Solnix page does not mention an exit status or any environment variables.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| NetBSD | options | NetBSD banner accepts -b bg, -f fg and -l. The Solnix synopsis is only 'banner strings'. A script that passes these flags to banner on Solnix is not supported by the Solnix page.Source: NetBSD banner(1) SYNOPSIS, -b, -f, -l; Solnix banner(1) SYNOPSIS |
| NetBSD | foreground and background characters | NetBSD banner draws with '#' on a ' ' background by default and lets you change both. The Solnix page does not say which characters it draws with and offers no way to change them. Source: NetBSD banner(1) -b, -f; Solnix banner(1) DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | font choice | NetBSD -l selects the LPD font instead of the traditional banner font. The Solnix page documents one font only and no switch.Source: NetBSD banner(1) -l; Solnix banner(1) SYNOPSIS |
| NetBSD | exit status | NetBSD documents exit 0 on success and >0 on error. The Solnix page has no EXIT STATUS section, so the manual does not say what banner returns. Source: NetBSD banner(1) EXIT STATUS; Solnix banner(1) (no such section) |
| OpenBSD | same documented interface | The OpenBSD and Solnix pages both document no options, only a list of strings. Both limit each string to 10 characters. OpenBSD says 'prints up to 10 characters'. Solnix says 'each up to 10 characters long'. The pages do not say what happens to longer strings. Source: OpenBSD banner(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; Solnix banner(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | no Linux counterpart | The bundle has no Linux banner page, so the manual cannot say whether banner is installed on Linux or how it behaves there. Source: Bundle header (counterparts: openbsd, netbsd only) |
| FreeBSD | no FreeBSD counterpart | The bundle has no FreeBSD banner page, so the manual does not say how FreeBSD behaves. Source: Bundle header (counterparts: openbsd, netbsd only) |
Standards
- POSIX: banner is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- NetBSD: The banner utility first appeared in NetBSD 1.2 (HISTORY).
Writing portable scripts
- Call banner with plain strings of at most 10 characters and no options. Only NetBSD documents
-b,-fand-l. - Do not rely on banner's exit status in scripts. Only NetBSD documents it.
Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.