GNU Parallel can do anything, but is too complicated to be useful



GNU Parallel is a utility that lets you run command jobs in parallel; on local and on remote hosts over the network. It’s incredibly powerful when you need something more flexible than xargs, and it’s especially useful with small computer clusters.
You don’t need to set up and configure anything. There is no long-lived daemon process or central scheduler, as is customary in distributed compilers. You only need to set up key-based authentication for each remote host (so parallel can log in automatically), and install Perl and Parallel on each system. That’s it.
You can configure it to transfer files from anywhere on your local system to a remote host. However, it can’t transfer files back to any directory other than the current working directory. For whatever reason, my odd jobs often involve moving files between different directories, and GNU Parallel complicates that tremendously. You’ll need to introduce more complications in the form of another tool to move files elsewhere on your system.
GNU Parallel can help you get jobs done quicker, but you need to do a cost-benefit analysis before you use it. Its command syntax is unique and non-intuitive for command-line users, and getting it up and running can be a real head-scratcher. I spend hours in the command line every week, but I can’t make heads or tails of Parallel’s unique syntax. Intuitively, I always expect it to be quick to set it up, but I always run into unique problems that I’ve never experienced before. Its manual page is excellently written, but also practically incomprehensible.
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