Re: Questions



delmar watkins wrote:
> 
> I am not suggesting getting rid of Bash, only making a new shell... etc.
> 
> I am saying that the Linux community really should rethink the most powerful
> computer tool they have, the CLI.
> 
> I think that saying, "well, if we change something then people won't understand
> it, so it isn't good" is a pretty lame excuse for not making the shell better.
>  pretty much everything in linux has had to be rethought in the past few years
> (with the introduction of real dekstop environs like KDE and Gnome).  Why should
> we settle for an interface that is neither intuitive, nor really easy to use, nor
> "standard" (check out the various arguments for recursive, for instance, or how
> bash uses uppercase).
> 

The shell once again is not in the least bit responsible for the "standards"
such as OPTIONS (not arguments) for recursive, or the use of uppercase.
The commands, which are specified by POSIX (a standard), are.  For example,
POSIX requires that chown accepts -R for recursive.  The shell does not do
this.  The shell merely calls chown with a command line, where wildcards
have been replaced by actual filenames, and `` (backtick) command expansion
has been carried out.  It would be extremely tedious to write a shell which
re-interpreted every command line (and all the options) and called the
underlying utilities with the correct commands, and very fragile.  
Upgrading a command with one that had subtly different syntax would break
the shell, and not even be readily fixable.  Building all the commands
into the shell would result in a huge and potentially unweildy program.

Now on the other hand, if you are suggesting a re-write of all the Unix
commands with a standardized option-set, I would whole-heartedly agree
with you.  This is what the "--" should be used for.  If every command
that had a meaningfull "detailed" option used "--detailed" to get it,
then higher level tools could start to make useful assumptions, and
your super-shell would become practical.

-- 
Dominic Amann, <http://www.interlog.com/~damann/>
	Linux Based Solutions Ltd.,
	18 Candlewood Cr, Toronto, ON M3J 1G8
	Tel: (416) 638-8649 Fax: (416) 630-1584

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