You can 'upgrade' top to htop by installing htop using the Advanced Package Tool:
sudo apt-get install htop
Comparison between htop and top
- In htop you can scroll the list vertically and horizontally to see all processes and complete command lines.
- In top you are subject to a delay for each unassigned key you press (especially annoying when multi-key escape sequences are triggered by accident).
- htop starts faster (top seems to collect data for a while before displaying anything).
- In htop you don't need to type the process number to kill a process, in 'top' you do.
- In htop you don't need to type the process number or the priority value to renice a process, in top you do.
- htop supports mouse operation, top doesn't.
- top is older, hence, more used and tested.
When you start htop it looks something like this:
Htop also works great with the Tilda konsole. Tilda is a Linux terminal taking after the likeness of many classic terminals from first person shooter games, Quake, Doom and Half-Life, etc. The terminal has no border and is hidden from the desktop till a key or keys are pressed.
You can install tilda by using the Advanced Package Tool:
sudo apt-get install tildaWhen you start tilda you can right click inside the empty window and choose preferences. In the preferences you can change the way tilda behaves and looks. This is the preferences dialog:
I run tilda with htop all the time. When I notice the PC is getting slower, I press F1 and tilda opens with htop.I then select the runaway task(usually Firefox with cartoon network) with my mouse and hit F9 for kill.
Tilda also supports a tab interface so you are not stuck running a single command line program.
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