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What is a shell?
A shell is a command-line interface (CLI) that lets you talk to an operating system by typing commands.
Think of it as a translator/mediator:
- You tell the shell what you want (create files, run programs, check processes) and the shell translates that into OS actions and returns the results to you.
Two broad families of shells :
- Unix-like shells (Linux, macOS):
sh,bash,ksh,csh,zsh, etc.
- Windows shells:
cmd.exe(Command Prompt) ,Windows TerminalandPowerShell.
A Unix-like Shell is the place where you type commands on Linux or macOS.
- sh (the original shell)
- bash (the most popular shell on Linux)
- zsh (default on macOS, more modern)
- fish (friendly, beginner-focused)
Think of a Unix-like Shell as a command space where you tell Linux/macOS what to do.
Home work :
Summary for Documentation
Here is a crisp summary you can include:
- sh → original basic Unix shell
- bash → most popular and widely used shell
- zsh → modern, feature-rich shell
- ksh → older enterprise scripting shell
- csh / tcsh → C-like shells, rarely used today
A Windows Shell is the interface that allows you to run commands on Windows.
Just like Linux has bash, Windows has:
- Command Prompt (cmd.exe)
- PowerShell
- Windows Terminal (a modern UI that can run cmd, PowerShell, WSL, etc.)
Think of a Windows Shell as a “place where you type instructions and Windows follows them.”
cmd.exe) :