Re: Decision to csh

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• In reply to: Stevan Tiefert: "Decision to csh"
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Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 10:09:59 -0500
To: Stevan Tiefert <stevan.tiefert@arcor.de>

Stevan Tiefert wrote:

> Hello mailing-list,
>
> which philosophy is behind the decision to use csh for root an not sh
> like the other users? I mean
> that the root has to manage the configuration-scripts written in the
> language of sh not of csh.
> The difference of the script-languages between csh and sh are
> tremendous, isn't it?
>
> With regards
> Stevan Tiefert
>

It is both historical and quite in alignment with the FreeBSD 'ethos',
if you will. Consider this quote from a mail message in April,
where Matthew Seaman (a quite knowledgeable fellow) states:

**************************************************************************

Actually, root's shell has been set to csh(1) for as long as there has
been a FreeBSD:

    http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/src/etc/master.passwd?rev=1.1&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup <http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/src/etc/master.passwd?rev=1.1&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup>

I think I've seen one of the elder gods mention that root's shell was
csh all the way back to 4.2-BSD.

        Cheers,

        Matthew

***************************************************************************

Now, as for the reasons behind the history, I can only guess, as I'm a
relative newbie.

IMVHO, /bin/sh is just darned inconvenient for sys-admin stuff,
which is why somebody invented bash. But, FreeBSD had already
chosen csh, and bash is GNU/GPL*, and why discuss another bikeshed?

If scripts are written correctly, they don't care what your
shell is anyway ...

As for script-writing, I take it that most people learn sh simply
for shell-scripting and quite apart from their daily CLI usage...
and perhaps a few people script things in PERL, ruby, even PHP
instead of sh on occasion as well; it might be considered a separate
activity.

My $.02,

KDK

*Probably this one is the most important issue.
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• Previous message: terry tyson: "Re: how can i run gnome on freebsd"
• In reply to: Stevan Tiefert: "Decision to csh"
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