Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 03:48:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Annelise Anderson <andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu> To: Francisco Reyes <francisco@natserv.com> Cc: FreeBSD Chat List <chat@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Why Not Make tcsh the default shell? Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970702031556.4889A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu> In-Reply-To: <199707011843.OAA06202@federation.addy.com>
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On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Francisco Reyes wrote: > I would also like to add to what others have said that it is probably > not a good idea to make tcsh the default. > I figure if someone knows enough not to like the default and know > there is something better, they probably know enough to get whatever > shell they like and get it installed. I am of course convinced by the universal opposition to this idea that it would not be good to make tcsh the default shell. There are unquestionably many competing demands on limited space for a default system, both on disk and in memory; tcsh seems to be about 274K, and maybe 30K or so larger than csh. However, new users do not know enough not to like the default; they do not know that there is something better that is not entirely different but merely enhanced; and they don't know enough to get whatever shell they like. And in fact the process of adding a shell to /etc/shells, changing the default shell for a user, and installing the shell is a three-part process that is, indeed, in all its individual parts, simple-- and yet implies some sophistication about how the operating system works; and some investigation into what sort of a substitute for .cshrc may be needed (again simple, but not obvious). Meanwhile the new user is trying to get the right stuff in sysconfig or rc.conf, trying to make it dial in and dial out, trying to make it telnet, getting the web server set up, trying to make the printer print, maybe worrying about dot clocks, ppp, reconfiguring the kernel to get the sound card working, etc. etc. etc., and is stuck with csh...because ........ Obviously a minority view.... Annelise
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