A shell is a command interpreter that provides users with a text-based interface to interact with the operating system. It allows you to execute operations using commands, provides advanced features like scripting, and offers optimized ways to perform tasks compared to a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Unix shells, commonly found on Linux and macOS computers, come in different variations. The most prevalent ones include Bash, Csh, Zsh, and Fish. These shells have evolved from the original Bourne Shell, commonly known as sh, developed by Steve Bourne.
Bash, short for “Bourne-again shell,” was created as a free alternative to the proprietary Bourne Shell. It was developed in 1989 under the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation. Due to its open-source nature, Bash quickly gained popularity and became the default shell on many systems, including macOS.
However, since Catalina, the default shell on macOS is zsh. Despite this change, the concepts covered in this tutorial remain applicable to various Unix shells.
To explore the unique features and advanced usage of each specific shell, you can refer to the following posts:
- Bash: Learn more about the Bash shell and its usage.
- Fish: Dive into the Fish shell and discover its capabilities.
By mastering the Unix shells, you can unlock powerful command line tools, leverage various configuration options, and optimize your workflow. Start exploring the world of Unix shells today!