FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#1

Post by 0mp » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 7:54 AM UTC

FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh
cgit.freebsd.org

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#2

Post by weastur » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 9:06 AM UTC

The era has gone.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#3

Post by WalterGR » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 10:29 AM UTC

In the recent history sh(1) has gain the missing features for it to become a usable interractive shell:
- command completion

- ...

Too much bloat for my tastes.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#4

Post by jabl » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:01 PM UTC

As a semi-curious non-FreeBSD user, is 'sh' on FreeBSD the Almquist shell or something else?

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#5

Post by xenophonf » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:08 PM UTC

jabl wrote: post #4

As a semi-curious non-FreeBSD user, is 'sh' on FreeBSD the Almquist shell or something else?

Yes, it's ash:

https://cgit.freebsd.org/src/tree/bin/sh/TOUR

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#6

Post by readingnews » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:09 PM UTC

I am not a freebsd user, been on linux since 1992, but most of the time I read something about freebsd users and it seems like they want to be some older unix, like Solaris or True64 or something.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#7

Post by yjftsjthsd-h » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:30 PM UTC

So am I reading correctly that they wanted to use sh for a while, and it just finally got needed features? This message says "what" but not "why", and while as a user I prefer sh over csh:), I'm curious why the project switched.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#8

Post by yjftsjthsd-h » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:34 PM UTC

readingnews wrote: post #6

I am not a freebsd user, been on linux since 1992, but most of the time I read something about freebsd users and it seems like they want to be some older unix, like Solaris or True64 or something.

I expect they want to be FreeBSD. In particular, they are not Linux, and have no need to be Linux, if that's what you're getting at. Certainly I do get a certain amount of Solaris feel from them; they ripped a decent amount of tech out of OpenSolaris (yay dtrace and ZFS) and BSDs were always structured more like Solaris than most Linux distros (base system separate from packages, base system created by installing multiple sets/consolidations), but they're their own thing.

EDIT: Oh, and I would expect BSDs to feel a lot more like traditional unix because they're direct descendants of UNIX™, unlike the later clones like GNU/Linux.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#9

Post by bombcar » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:39 PM UTC

WalterGR wrote: post #3

In the recent history sh(1) has gain the missing features for it to become a usable interractive shell: - command completion - ... Too much bloat for my tastes.

Doesn’t command completion cause a disk scan? Which can be a problem if the system is failing in some way and you’re trying to recover.

Re: FreeBSD switches the default root shell from csh to sh

#10

Post by jl6 » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 1:44 PM UTC

bombcar wrote: post #9

WalterGR wrote: post #3

In the recent history sh(1) has gain the missing features for it to become a usable interractive shell: - command completion - ... Too much bloat for my tastes.

Doesn’t command completion cause a disk scan? Which can be a problem if the system is failing in some way and you’re trying to recover.

Can you not just avoid activating a completion attempt if you are in that scenario?