One shell script to rule them all Note: This is strictly about scripting. There is no need for any debate over the best user interface, as Fish shell exists. The science is settled here. Only fish deniers on the fringe say otherwise.
Suppose we have created the ideal operating system. It is implemented in your favorite low level language with a performant implementation Ada, but now we need a scripting language to glue bits together.
If there could be only one, which would it be? Does Posix really matter to you. Do you believe in the cross-platform meme? Bourne, Bash, Ksh, Fish (as a scripting language no) or perhaps you think a general purpose language like Python, Perl or even Scheme should be used.
There is no need for any debate over the best user interface, as ZSH shell exists.
Tyler Rodriguez
If I could only have one it'd probably be python. It's not the greatest scripting language, but it's versatile and can do everything I'd ever require of a scripting language on any system I'd need to use.
William Harris
c
Camden Evans
The ideal operating system would include the ideal scripting language (ie not fucking Python)
Evan Walker
And what would that be...?
Even javascript wouldn't be a worse choice than C.
Core in Ada, Scripted in Scheme: This needs to exist.
Austin King
I choose execline. The only scripting language so simple and lightweight it doesn't need a runtime interpreter. Also one of the very few good applications of continuation passing style. skarnet.org/software/execline/
Carter Rodriguez
bat I get shivers every time I read @echo off
John Rodriguez
Make it happen. I'd use it.
Evan Barnes
cuck
Brody Powell
Smalltalk scripting.
Mason Martinez
Do you mean best besides Bash shell scripting? It's strange you would ask a question where the answer is already commonly known.
Jordan Williams
Was gonna come in here and recommend FISH but it seems OP is already a patrician of high taste.
Levi Scott
Bash is a mess, it's not the best we can do.
John Edwards
Assembly for the relevant CPU. When you press enter it's assembled and executed. If you run a different kind of CPU the same thing happens but it's run in an emulator.
Jason Morgan
LARPers leave
Ryder Adams
If only it had a good scripting language
Isaiah Price
We? I'm sorry were you involved an any aspect of creating ... anything?
Mason Martinez
Take a remedial English course.
Dominic Hall
A very interesting choice, that's a very readable language.
Aiden Roberts
Thanks to automatic parameter shortening in Powershell your custom parameters can be written as -p -i -s -h
Ethan Scott
I'll take this as no
Dominic Sullivan
The ideal scripting language doesn’t exist. Maybe the perfect operating system doesn’t even need a scripting language because every aspect of the operating system is written in a high level interpreted language that can be modified by the user on the fly. Now shoo.
Hunter Ward
Interpreted by what, the processor? Ah, you're a weirdo as well as having no clue how computers work.
Dylan Ramirez
...
Joshua Morris
Right tool for the right job. /thread
Aaron Jenkins
A JIT compiler
Aiden Ramirez
Some tools are never right, like Perl.
Noah Moore
Sit in a corner and think about what you said
Colton Cox
Bash(also sh but not so often) and python are the best scripting languages in systems. Lua and racket/scheme are the best when embedded in programs.
zsh, csh, ksh are just hackjobs, trying to lure innocent kids into using them because of a single ,,glamorous,, feature.
Bash is good by virtue of being widely used and popular.
William Rogers
HolyC unironically
Ryder Rogers
As a redditor, and occasional coder, I really think we need to move the community towards convergence on Javascript. Lots of activity in that space, and quite empowering when combined with container computing like docker.
Wyatt Baker
...
Jeremiah Reed
Bingo. Knowing which tool to use is almost an art in and of itself. You don't want a bunch of logic in the shell script; it should be process glue only.
On my Windows 10 development workstation, I have a lot of automation. I've got a shortcut key mapped to an AutoHotkey script launches a script selection dialog, dynamically populated by my script directory (usually .bat and powershell scripts). The scripts will re-launch themselves in Administrator mode if necessary, and then call .NET or Java executables to do any heavy lifting.
Cameron Hernandez
Which is why execline is so great. The inherent simplicity of it makes process glue fast and bunches of logic slow, encouraging good scripting practice.