[G1 Android Development] haykuro:
*box (toolbox, and busybox) are application bundles.

A symlink is a "link" to a file, almost like a shortcut.

you can see which binaries are actually symlinks to toolbox (the default android bundle) here:

# ls -l
ls -l
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 printenv -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 ln -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 kill -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 dumpcrash -> dumpstate
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 top -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 ps -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 log -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 renice -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 wipe -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 date -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 mv -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 cmp -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 umount -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 vmstat -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 rmdir -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 dd -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 smd -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 route -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 stop -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 watchprops -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 sync -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 lsmod -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 bugreport -> dumpstate
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 notify -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 insmod -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 df -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 setconsole -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 getprop -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 rmmod -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 306040 2008-08-01 08:00 wpa_supplicant
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 30744 2008-08-01 08:00 wpa_cli
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 getevent -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 64936 2008-08-01 08:00 wlan_loader
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 39020 2008-08-01 08:00 vold
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9620 2008-08-01 08:00 uis
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 72592 2008-08-01 08:00 toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 hd -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5332 2008-08-01 08:00 system_server
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 192 2008-08-01 08:00 svc
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5340 2008-08-01 08:00 surfaceflinger
-rwsr-sr-x root root 5480 2008-08-01 08:00 su
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9592 2008-08-01 08:00 sound
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5308 2008-08-01 08:00 snd
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 ifconfig -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 10688 2008-08-01 08:00 showlease
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 86944 2008-08-01 08:00 sh
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5376 2008-08-01 08:00 set_grp_id
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9828 2008-08-01 08:00 servicemanager
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 chmod -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9764 2008-08-01 08:00 service
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9620 2008-08-01 08:00 sdutil
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 46460 2008-08-01 08:00 sdptool
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5304 2008-08-01 08:00 schedtest
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5604 2008-08-01 08:00 rild
-rwsr-sr-x root shell 76072 2008-08-01 08:00 reboot
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 sleep -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5328 2008-08-01 08:00 radiooptions
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9728 2008-08-01 08:00 qemud
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 191 2008-08-01 08:00 pm
-rwxr-sr-x root net_raw 26628 2008-08-01 08:00 ping
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 iftop -> toolbox
-rwxr-sr-x root inet 5616 2008-08-01 08:00 netcfg
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 205 2008-08-01 08:00 monkey
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5412 2008-08-01 08:00 mediaserver
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9672 2008-08-01 08:00 logwrapper
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9736 2008-08-01 08:00 logcat
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 80552 2008-08-01 08:00 linker
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 dmesg -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 109020 2008-08-01 08:00 iptables
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 14024 2008-08-01 08:00 installd
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 201 2008-08-01 08:00 input
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 194 2008-08-01 08:00 ime
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 mount -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5428 2008-08-01 08:00 htclogkernel
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5144 2008-08-01 08:00 hcid
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 18892 2008-08-01 08:00 hciattach
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5496 2008-08-01 08:00 gzip
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 151868 2008-08-01 08:00 gdbserver
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9640 2008-08-01 08:00 flash_image
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 start -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5460 2008-08-01 08:00 dvz
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9724 2008-08-01 08:00 dumpsys
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 14188 2008-08-01 08:00 dumpstate
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 38572 2008-08-01 08:00 dosfsck
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 chown -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 44536 2008-08-01 08:00 dhcpcd
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9644 2008-08-01 08:00 dexopt
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 18028 2008-08-01 08:00 debuggerd
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 9676 2008-08-01 08:00 debug_tool
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 121728 2008-08-01 08:00 dbus-daemon
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5420 2008-08-01 08:00 dalvikvm
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 schedtop -> toolbox
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 5564 2008-08-01 08:00 app_process
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 189 2008-08-01 08:00 am
-rwxr-xr-x root shell 149444 2008-08-01 08:00 akmd
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 id -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 sendevent -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 ioctl -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 netstat -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 rm -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 mkdosfs -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 cat -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 mkdir -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 ls -> toolbox
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2009-04-09 18:27 setprop -> toolbox

All of the ones that have "-> toolbox" are just shortcuts that point to the /system/bin/toolbox application, which then interprets which shortcut called it.

an example of this: (id is also the command you use to check if you are root or not ;P if uid is 0, you are root.)

# id
id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root)
# /system/bin/toolbox id
/system/bin/toolbox id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root)

toolbox is nice, but is rather limited. BusyBox provides many more applications that toolbox does not provide; including, but not limited to, cp, [, grep, and find.

i'd provide an in depth look at each individual command, but that would seem unneeded with the never ending resource of google ;P