Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcso!hpfelg!koren
From: koren@hpfelg.HP.COM (Steve Koren)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Unix-type shells
Message-ID: <13910001@hpfelg.HP.COM>
Date: 8 Nov 89 14:24:05 GMT
References: <3246@lab.udel.EDU>
Organization: HP Elec. Design Div. -FtCollins
Lines: 55

>>:I'm looking for a shell (CLI) for the Amiga which will emulate
>>:a Unix Korn, C or Bourne shell.  Are there any out there (PD or
>>:commercial) which will provide a believable enough illusion of
>>:Unix?
>>:					Craig.
>>The last two issues of Amazing Computing has been looking at a UNIX type syntax
>>shell called TShell.  It is commercial (Metran Technology) and can be
>>had from Abel supply for $29.26.   It looks rather impressive.
>>Joel Swan

>I have been looking for either a replacement shell, or a program which will run
>overtop of the existing 'AShell' and give me filename completion as implemented
>in the Unix TShell.

>Is there such a beast?

There is such a beast, now.  I have just written a shell called 'Ash'
which is quite similar to ksh.  It has filename completion (using <esc><esc>
or the <tab> key like in emacs), command substition (using backticks or
$(command) ), and a whole host of other stuff.  The syntax is quite
close to ksh.  For example, this script fragment runs either place:

    function install_foo {
       if [ -d /bin -a ! -f /bin/foo ]
       then
           cp $1 /bin/foo
           echo 'installed /bin/foo!'
       elif [ ! -d /bin ]
       then
           echo 'no /bin directory found'
       else
           echo '/bin/foo already existed!'
       fi
    }

That's just a short example, but you should get the flavor.  Ash even
takes care of mapping Un*x style filenames to AmigaDos style filenames;
you can use something/../something_else, ~/file, and /path/file gets mapped
to :path/file so it is correctly an absolute path, not relative.  Also,
a single dot gets mapped to the current directory so you can say

    mv some/file/spec .

You'll have to check it out to see what else it will do.  It will
co-exist with scripts written for Matt Dillon's shell by putting

   #!c:shell

as the first line of the script.  That way, Ash will fire up Matt's
shell to run those scripts.

I will leave a more detailed message about it in comp.sys.amiga.tech.
This is just a beta version, but workable.  Its free, too.

         - steve (koren@hpfela.HP.COM)