Re: Python as standard shell? was Re: [RFC] Draft Proposal

Guido.van.Rossum@cwi.nl
Mon, 30 May 1994 09:40:59 +0200

> jw@ibch50.inf.tu-dresden.de (Wittenberger) writes:
> > I would like python to be the standard shell of a planned system.
>
> I thought python would be nice to use as a shell when I first came
> across it (currently use rc), and do use it for scripts (doctype, news
> reader). However, having to type 'ls()' instead of 'ls' drove me batty
> almost immediately, so I gave up on the idea of using python as my
> interactive shell.

Mark Lutz wrote a nice interactive shell in Python that lets you
execute Python statements (using 'exec') as well as Unix shell
commands (using 'os.system'). It's Demo/lutz/psh.py in the 1.0.2
distribution. It's quite simple and clean code so it should be easy
to extend it or adapt it to different purposes.

--Guido van Rossum, CWI, Amsterdam <Guido.van.Rossum@cwi.nl>
URL: <http://www.cwi.nl/cwi/people/Guido.van.Rossum.html>