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Your shell

Problem Statement

Read through the entry on command shells at: https://www.thegeekdiary.com/unix-linux-what-is-a-shell-what-are-different-shells/ and then discuss which command shell(s) you would personally use and why you might change what shell you utilize for specific instances.

Solution

  • The command shell I’m using is ZSH.
  • ZSH is designed for interactive use, although it is also a powerful scripting language.
  • The name derives from Zhong Shao, a teaching assistant at Princeton University and now Yale (Guckes, 2003).
  • Website: http://www.zsh.org/
  • Benefits of ZSH shells:
    • Supports command completion.
    • Supports command history.
    • Easy installation.
    • Command history is saved in a file, which then can be searched and shared between sessions.
    • ZSH is the default shell on macOS.
    • supports multi-line commands.
    • The only drawback is that it uses more resources than other shells.
  • In my day-to-day use, I use a shell called OH-MY-ZSH. It is built on top of ZSH with a nicer interface and more features.
  • I then use Warp which is a commercial version of Oh-My-ZSH. It has a lot of nice features and is very customizable. It also has a lot of plugins that can be installed. I use it for my day-to-day work.
  • Some of the extra benefits I’m getting using Warp/OH-MY-ZHS combination:
    • I can use git commands directly from the command line. with nice abbreviations.
    • I put a nice theme that matches my editor.
    • Intelligent auto-completion of commands.
    • Visual and sound warnings when a command takes too long to execute or fails.
    • I link it to my account on the could so I can use the intelligent auto-completion of commands on any machine.
    • The ability to copy and paste from the command line.
    • There is even a button to copy the entire command output.

References