Re: DOS <-> Bash interaction...

[Igor Pechtchanski <pechtcha at cs dot nyu dot edu>]

On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, Soren A wrote:

> Igor Pechtchanski <pechtcha@cs.nyu.edu> wrote around 28 Jan 2003
> Pine.GSO.4.44.0301281140120.26400-100000@slinky.cs.nyu.edu:">news:Pine.GSO.4.44.0301281140120.26400-100000@slinky.cs.nyu.edu:
>
> > If you get something different as the first entry, your /etc/profile does
> > *append* the standard paths to the contents of $PATH.  This means you've
> > probably changed it at some point in the past.  Change it back.
>
> Right. And yes, I have read the rest of the articles in the thread, but
> found that one question gets left behind immediately, in the course of
> running down the PATH issue: that was, the very top issue Hannu raised,
> which is "what does $SHELL contain"? I am wondering what Cygwin does by
> default -- I have been using highly modified bash initialization files
> for a very long time now and so I cannot find out by merely going and
> looking at my own.
>
> Do any of the init files that bash reads set, query or export SHELL?
> Would it be a good idea for them to do so?
>
> It seems to me that when I set up Cygwin (my installation on Win98SE
> thereof, that is), I had to set SHELL and export it, in my bash init
> file, when I worked on achieving good integration with the editor GVIM
> (the Win32 GUI version of the VIM editor). This memory-impression
> suggests that Cygwin isn't exporting SHELL by default. Confirm or
> denials, anyone? ;-)
>
> I actually have 3 "choices" of SHELL on this Win98 box, because I've
> installed a partly-functioning CMD.exe from a Win2K SDK release by M$.
> So I have available a command.com, a CMD.exe, and a bash.exe. I *always*
> want to be using the bash.exe in connection with any Cygwin stuff I am
> doing, but in the past have wanted CMD.exe, for instance, in connection
> with other things (MinGW-ish, but that's OT here...). Almost never
> do I intentionally want command.com, of course.
>
> This is all rhetorical and general-interest for me personally, since I
> already have Cygwin doing what I want it to in these areas. I am not
> calling for a change of any specific sort, just asking for discussion
> for the purposes of increasing general understanding.
>    Soren A

Frankly, I initially dismissed this issue, since I was sure bash exported
SHELL to be /bin/bash when run.  However, now I see that this only happens
if SHELL was not previously set.

IMO, it's up to the individual user preference whether they want SHELL
replaced by the currently running shell, or whether they want full control
over what the value of $SHELL is.  For most users, however, it would
probably be better if the shell is set to something Cygwin-ish when under
Cygwin.  Maybe the default /etc/profile should contain a line setting
SHELL that power users can then comment out?
	Igor
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Oh, boy, virtual memory! Now I'm gonna make myself a really *big* RAMdisk!
  -- /usr/games/fortune


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