Summary
This chapter covered what the shell is and how it operates in greater detail. The init process for the various shells was described along with a brief description of the basic information required in the init file .profile. The different modes of operation for the shell, interactive and non-interactive, were also covered. Shell programming relies on the non-interactive mode because it enables commands specified in a file to be executed.
We also covered man and man pages, the online help system in UNIX. Finally, online sources for shell programming information, such as Usenet newsgroups, Web sites, and e-mail lists, were covered.
The next chapter formally introduces the concept of files by showing you how to list files, view the contents ...
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