Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Shell (computing)

A carapace is a section of software that provides an interface for users of an operating arrangement which provides admission to the casework of a kernel. However, the appellation is aswell activated actual about to applications and may cover any software that is "built around" a accurate component, such as web browsers and email audience that are "shells" for HTML apprehension engines. The name carapace originates from shells getting an alien band of interface amid the user and the internals of the operating arrangement (the kernel).

Operating arrangement shells about abatement into one of two categories: command-line and graphical. Command-line shells accommodate a command-line interface (CLI) to the operating system, while graphical shells accommodate a graphical user interface (GUI). In either class the primary purpose of the carapace is to adjure or "launch" addition program; however, shells frequently accept added capabilities such as examination the capacity of directories.

The about affirmation of CLI- and GUI-based shells are generally debated. CLI proponents affirmation that assertive operations can be performed abundant faster beneath CLI shells than beneath GUI shells (such as affective files, for example). However, GUI proponents apostle the allusive account and artlessness of GUI shells. The best best is generally bent by the way in which a computer will be used. On a server mainly acclimated for abstracts transfers and processing with able administering , a CLI is acceptable to be the best choice. However, a GUI would be added adapted for a computer to be acclimated for angel or video alteration and the development of the aloft data.

In able systems, a carapace is a section of software that is an "empty" able arrangement after the ability abject for any accurate application.1

Unix shells

Notable celebrated or accepted Unix shells include:

Bourne carapace (sh)

Almquist carapace (ash)

Debian Almquist carapace (dash)

Bourne-Again carapace (bash)

Korn carapace (ksh)

Z carapace (zsh)

C carapace (csh)

TENEX C carapace (tcsh)

Hamilton C shell

EMACS carapace (eshell)

affable alternate carapace (fish)

rc carapace (rc) – carapace for Plan 9 from Bell Labs and Unix

scsh (Scheme Shell)

Stand-alone Carapace (sash)

BeanShell

Rhino

rsh - a limited carapace accessible on abounding systems, can aswell beggarly Restricted carapace on some systems

psh - a Perl-based accepted purpose carapace accessible in some cases.

sqsh - a carapace accessible with some SQL implementations for database queries and added tasks.

Several of the aloft are accessible with DOS and Windows software bales which acquiesce for interoperability with Unix at capricious levels. Common examples are the MKS Toolkit (sh, bash, ksh, csh, tclsh, rsh with adaptation 8.0 and subsequent), UnxUtils, UWIN (AT&T Unix for Windows, aswell abbreviated U/WIN), Cygwin, DJGPP, Interix, and added programmes of the aforementioned type. Windows Services For Unix in a lot of versions provides a Korn and C carapace as able-bodied as Perl able of command band use.

Unix shells are aswell accessible for added operating systems including OS/2 and VMSdisambiguation bare , as able-bodied as the capital VMS shell, DCLdisambiguation bare  getting accessible for DOS, Windows, OS/2, and Unix-type systems in assorted forms.

Versions of DOS and Windows NT shells are aswell accessible for Unix/Linux blazon systems.

Non-Unix shells

4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT – shells for DOS, OS/2, and Windows NT accounting and awash by JP Software. The Take Command programs were accordant shells acute and adequate a GUI. Like command.com, 4DOS can of advance be run on Windows NT blazon systems and at atomic some versions run on OS/2 as well, and aboriginal 4OS/2 versions can be run on Windows NT by agency of the OS/2 ecology subsystem included in versions 3.51 and 4.0 of Windows NT.

Amiga CLI/AmigaShell, which functioned as an another to the AmigaOS desktop, alleged Workbench

BASIC-PLUS – RSTS/E

Beemos (BEEMos) – A baby activity that provides settings, applications, and feels like a abstracted OS that runs over Windows XP.

CANDE MCS – command band carapace and argument editor on the MCP operating system

CCP – animate command processor of CP/M

cmd.exe – CMD.exe is the name of the capital carapace for OS/2, Windows CE and Windows NT-based operating systems. Although agnate in name, they are conspicuously different. Emulators abide for some versions of Windows CE of the Windows NT 4.0 adaptation of cmd.exe as able-bodied as the MS-DOS 6.22 and PC-DOS 7 versions of command.com, and at atomic one adaptation of the DR-DOS alternation thereof. After adaptation 2.2, OS/2 has Rexx anon accessible to it in the absence installation, as does PC-DOS 7 and consecutive versions. It is difficult or absurd to use the built-in Windows CE adaptation in accumulation approach in some versions. Windows NT cmd.exe includes algebraic and abounding added programming functions not accessible in MS-DOS/Windows 95-98 command.com accumulation programming; programs accounting for batch-mode beheading by the above are generally alleged carapace programs and the closing accumulation files.

COMMAND.COM – carapace for assorted DOS versions including Windows 95-98-ME, aswell present in the operating systems of the Windows NT-2000 and XP substreams. MS-DOS Command.com is anon accessible if application OS/2 on a dual-boot configuration.

Animate 5 – A backup for the Win32 animate window. The absence back-end is cmd.exe but added shells like PyCmd can be acclimated too.

Commodore DOS Wedge – an addendum to the Commodore 64's BASIC 2.0 that included autograph for accepted deejay operations

DCL – the accepted carapace for OpenVMS, anticipation from versions created for beforehand DEC operating systems

DDT – PDP-10 debugger from DEC acclimated as a command carapace for the MIT Incompatible Timesharing System

DROS – Java ME belvedere based DOS like carapace for acute phones.

EFI-SHELL – an accessible antecedent Extensible Firmware Interface command shell

Google Carapace – Browser based foreground end for Google Search

iSeries QSHELL – Unix appearance carapace on the IBM OS/400

Macintosh Programmer's Workshop – old command band ambiance acclimated for software development on the archetypal Mac OS

Microsoft BASIC – the primary operating ambiance for a amount of earlier 8-bit computer systems

NDOS -- provided with some versions of the Norton Utilities for DOS forth with a set of accumulation enhancers, this is a agilely adapted adaptation 4DOS.

PyCmd 6 – A cmd.exe replacement, application the Win32 animate window.

Rexx – IBM's scripting languages

Singularity carapace – the accepted carapace for Singularity

Windows PowerShell – the acquisitive almsman of cmd.exe (formerly accepted as Monad or the Microsoft Carapace (MSH))

Windows Recovery Animate – affection of the Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003 operating systems

YouShell – JavaScript based command processor of YouOS


S hells for programming languages

Noteworthy alternate versions of programming languages include:

The Read-eval-print bend frequently associated with Lisp, but acclimated in added programming languages as well. An archetype is SLIME for Common Lisp.

BeanShell – carapace for Java

Firebug (Chromebug)7 – JavaScript carapace and debugging ambiance as Firefox plugin

GMLCMD – GML Shell

Alternate Ruby Carapace – alternate adaptation of Ruby

JavaScript carapace – several programs by this name acquiesce alternate JavaScript8

PHPsh – carapace for PHP

Python's accepted analyst can be invoked in a carapace mode

Wish (GUI) and tclsh (CLI) for Tcl/Tk

tkcon carapace and IDE for Tcl/Tk has abounding hidden powers, including interacting with added active Tcl/Tk programs.

Rexx implementations can be invoked and acclimated interactively in a appearance which allows admission to the carapace on which it is run, and both Rexx programmes and carapace scripts for the closing can be accounting in this way.

BASIC versions as able-bodied as added languages may in some cases accept commands like kill, system, files, and others which acquiesce operating arrangement admission from the alternate and generally from programme mode.

The Windows Software Host, which uses scripting engines for abounding cement languages like Perl, Rexx, PHP, Ruby, Tcl, Delphi, XSLT, Python and others and has those for VBScript, JScript, and VBA installed by default, is able of active in alternate approach from cmd.exe, command.com, or a lot of added shells active beneath Windows like the MKS Unix shells, (or any Software or programme with OS admission or the Run box of the GUI) by invoking as CScript.exe //I.


Shells for Other Software

Some implementations of telnet, added telecommunications tools, and added types of software can accept shells able of alternate and batch/script use.

On Microsoft Windows

Modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating arrangement use the Windows carapace as their shell, aswell accepted as Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer provides the accustomed desktop environment, alpha menu, and assignment bar, as able-bodied as a graphical user interface for accessing the book administration functions of the operating system. Older versions aswell cover Program Manager (progman.exe), which was the carapace for the 3.x alternation of Microsoft Windows, and which in actuality ships with after versions of Windows of both the 95 and NT types at atomic through Windows XP. The interfaces of Windows versions 1 and 2 were clearly different.

Desktop apps, like iTVmediaPlayer, are aswell advised shells, as continued as they use a third-party engine. Likewise, abounding individuals and developers annoyed with the interface of Windows Explorer accept developed software that either alters the activity and actualization of the carapace or replaces it entirely. WindowBlinds by StarDock is a acceptable archetype of the above array of application. LiteStep, SharpE and Emerge Desktop are acceptable examples of the latter.

Interoperability programmes and purpose-designed software lets Windows users use equivalents of abounding of the assorted Unix-based GUIs discussed below, as able-bodied as Macintosh. An agnate of the OS/2 Presentation Manager for adaptation 3.0 can run some OS/2 programmes beneath some altitude application the OS/2 ecology subsystem in versions of Windows NT. For an archetype of the first, X Window-type environments can be run application combinations of Windows/Unix interoperability packages, communications suites such as Hummingbird Connectivity, and/or X server progammes for Windows such as WinAxe and others.

On X Window System

Graphical (GUI) shells about body on top of a windowing system. In case of the X Window System, there are both absolute X window managers, and complete desktop environments which depend on a window manager.

X Window Arrangement environments (mainly for Unix-like operating systems):

absolute X window managers, such as:

Blackbox

Fluxbox

ratpoison

xmonad

dwm

desktop shells, such as:

Enlightenment DR17

Cinnamon

Unity

abounding desktop environments, such as:

CDE

GNOME

KDE

Xfce

LXDE

On added platforms

Amiga environments:

Ambient (for MorphOS)

Directory Opus

ScalOS

Wanderer (for AROS)

Workbench

DOS Shell

Finder (for Mac OS X)

Doors CS, MirageOS, Ion, and CrunchyOS (for TI-83 and TI-84 alternation graphing calculators)

OS/2 environments:

Presentation Administrator (for OS/2 1.1 and greater and eComStation)

Workplace Shell (for OS/2 2.0 and greater and eComStation)