Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!decvax!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpcupt1!hpindda!herb
From: herb@hpindda.HP.COM (Herb Gellis)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Other shells besides ksh and tcsh
Message-ID: <4460004@hpindda.HP.COM>
Date: 17 Feb 88 02:45:31 GMT
References: <1493@lll-lcc.aRpA>
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 37

>ron@topaz.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie) writes:
>
>Original UNIX shell (/bin/sh, last seen in version 6):  Written by Mashey?
>  limitted programming.  Constructs like goto were separate programs that
>  sucked the shell's input.  No concept of shell variables, chdir command
>  was called chdir.  No settable path.  Prompt hardwired to %.
>
>PWB Unix Shell (/bin/sh, in PWB I):  Fancier version of V6 shell with
>  single letter shell variables.  Built in program called "pump" would
>  perform variable substitution in processes.  Either the path was setable
>  or it looked in .bin directory?  cd alias for chdir.

The original shell was written at computing research (Murray Hill NJ)
by one or more of the original UNIX gurus (Thompson, Richie, or whomever,
I don't know who).

John Mashey (in the PWB department, Piscataway NJ, not at computing research)
took this shell and GREATLY enhanced it for PWB. I can't say
(or remember) what was released to the outside world of this, but by the
time Mash had finished enhancing /bin/sh, Bourne (at computing research)
had in parallel come up with his version --
and they were AT THAT TIME extremely close in computational power.
After much consternation and debate, we finally decided
to go with the Bourne shell, after he (Steve Bourne) agreed to certain
enhancements.  We (in Piscataway) then spent about a year of phased conversion
from /bin/sh to Bourne.  Good fun. (?)

Mashey also reads this net... most often I see his byline in comp.arch...
mayhaps you can drop him a line for more info.

 .                                  .
 |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| "What will I be when I grow up?
 | Herb Gellis                      | You are already grown up.
 | {ucbvax,...}!hplabs!hpindda!herb | You mean this is as UP as I will get?..."
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 |                                  | David Gerrold, "When HARLIE Was One"
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