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You're reading from  Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible - Third Edition

Product typeBook
Published inJan 2015
PublisherWiley
ISBN-139781118983843
Edition3rd Edition
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Authors (2):
Richard Blum
Richard Blum
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Richard Blum

Richard Blum has more than 25 years as a network and systems administrator, currently managing Microsoft, Unix, Linux, and Novell servers for a network with more than 3,500 users. He has developed online programming and Linux courses that he teaches to students worldwide.
Read more about Richard Blum

Christine Bresnahan
Christine Bresnahan
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Christine Bresnahan

Christine Bresnahan has worked in the IT industry for more than 30 years and is currently an adjunct professor of Python programming and Linux system administration classes at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. She is the co-author of Linux Bible, Eighth Edition, and Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible.
Read more about Christine Bresnahan

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The zsh Shell

Another popular shell that you may run into is the Z shell (called zsh). The zsh shell is an open source Unix shell developed by Paul Falstad. It takes ideas from all the existing shells and adds many unique features to create a full-blown advanced shell designed for programmers.

The following are some of the features that make the zsh shell unique:

  • Improved shell option handling
  • Shell compatibility modes
  • Loadable modules

Of all these features, a loadable module is the most advanced feature in shell design. As you've seen in the bash and dash shells, each shell contains a set of built-in commands that are available without the need for external utility programs. The benefit of built-in commands is execution speed. The shell doesn't have to load a utility program into memory before running it; the built-in commands are already in the shell memory, ready to go.

The zsh shell provides a core set of built-in commands, plus the capability to add more command modules...

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Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible - Third Edition
Published in: Jan 2015Publisher: WileyISBN-13: 9781118983843

Authors (2)

author image
Richard Blum

Richard Blum has more than 25 years as a network and systems administrator, currently managing Microsoft, Unix, Linux, and Novell servers for a network with more than 3,500 users. He has developed online programming and Linux courses that he teaches to students worldwide.
Read more about Richard Blum

author image
Christine Bresnahan

Christine Bresnahan has worked in the IT industry for more than 30 years and is currently an adjunct professor of Python programming and Linux system administration classes at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. She is the co-author of Linux Bible, Eighth Edition, and Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible.
Read more about Christine Bresnahan