Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!diku!ambush!kimcm
From: kimcm@ambush.UUCP (Kim Chr. Madsen)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Re: Where to get a cheap shell with history
Message-ID: <574@ambush.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 87 09:57:20 GMT
Organization: AmbraSoft A/S (Denmark)
Lines: 23

allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) writes:

>The simplistic answer, BTW, is to use a front end; I've seen a shell script
>front end (bcsh) and have contemplated one in C, but in order to have the
>front end not choke on Bourne shell programming constructs (and believe me,
>I use them.  Often.) I'd have to virtually rewrite the Bourne shell from
>scratch into my front-end; while this effectively obviates the need for
>/bin/sh as a back-end, it makes things far more complex -- and, while I
>consider myself a fairly good programmer, I *know* I'm not up to writing a
>Bourne shell.  (My last attempt showed me why csh parses the way it does.)

In the UNIX/WORLD Volume IV, Number 5, May 1987 - there is an article
called "Making History" by Ray Swartz, which describes how to write a
frontend to the bourne shell providing it with a history mechanism,
saving of history, editing of history. The whole script is 114 lines
code. I haven't tried it so I don't know how eficient it is! 

For more information refer to the magazine or if you can't get hold of
a copy to dropping a letter to Ray Swartz at the following address:
	ihnp4!sun!uworld!ray

					Happy New Year
					Kim Chr. Madsen.