Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!utkcs2!betelgeuse!moore
From: moore@betelgeuse.cs.utk.edu (Keith Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: useful programs implemented in /bin/sh
Message-ID: <1990Sep10.203003.17846@cs.utk.edu>
Date: 10 Sep 90 20:30:03 GMT
Sender: news@cs.utk.edu (USENET News System)
Reply-To: moore@cs.utk.edu (Keith Moore)
Organization: CS Dept -- University of TN, Knoxville
Lines: 23

Is there a collection of useful UNIX utilities written in /bin/sh?

Several times recently I have been stuck with trying to repair a
broken system, using only the utilities available on a boot floppy
or the root file system.  Under SunOS, for example, /bin is a symlink 
to usr/bin, and /sbin only contains hostname, ifconfig, init, intr,
mount, and sh.  It's pretty difficult to diagnose boot problems with
just these.

So...I would like to come up with a collection of "tiny" implementations
of UNIX programs that only rely on the shell, or the shell and little
else.  Does such a set of programs already exist?  If not, would anyone
like to contribute examples of such programs?  Mail them to me, and 
I'll post a summary and make an ftp-able archive if there's enough
response.

Keith Moore
moore@cs.utk.edu (Internet)
moore@utkvx (BITNET)
Keith Moore			Internet: moore@cs.utk.edu
University of Tenn. CS Dept.	BITNET: moore@utkvx
107 Ayres Hall, UT Campus	Telephone: +1 615 974 0822
Knoxville Tennessee 37996-1301	``Friends don't let friends use YP (or NIS)''