From: utzoo!decvax!genradbo!mitccc!barmar
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: Re: More directory junk
Article-I.D.: mitccc.237
Posted: Thu Dec 30 00:41:51 1982
Received: Fri Dec 31 07:27:34 1982
References: alice.1351

You can't do everything using pre-existing software.  In any case, there is no way
that shell scripts can ever catch up to compiled programs; shell
is a very powerful interpreter, and it goes through a great
deal before it ever gets to executing the requested program.
It has to set up pipes and I/O redirection, it has to search
directories for every command.  There is no way that shell can
compete, and if it is a large job that is run often, it does not
pay.

Note, however, that the shell script that started this discussion
was five lines long, and thus does not spend too much time in the shell.
However, there is also the situation where the tools that are
being used do much more than is necessary; in that case you end up wasting
computrons also, although it might be considered an indication that
the tool is not well-designed.
					barmar@mit-multics