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Definition

shell

Shell is a UNIX term for the interactive user interface with an operating system. The shell is the layer of programming that understands and executes the commands a user enters. In some systems, the shell is called a command interpreter. A shell usually implies an interface with a command syntax (think of the DOS operating system and its "C:>" prompts and user commands such as "dir" and "edit").

As the outer layer of an operating system, a shell can be contrasted with the kernel, the operating system's inmost layer or core of services.

Related glossary terms: Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition) , high-performance computing (HPC), Open Directory Project (ODP), copyleft, LiveDistro, Yellowdog Updater, Modified (YUM), BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) , Free Software Foundation (FSF) , Tcl/Tk (Tool Command Language), open source beer

This was last updated in July 2006

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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