Chapter 11. Shells and Public Domain Software

$graphics\chic01.gif$

L IKE ANY OTHER UNIX ENVIRONMENT, the Solaris operating environment contains at least one command interpreter called a shell. It isn't only an interpreter; it's also a command programming language. The shell is the main interface between the user and the system. The first section in this chapter identifies the shells that are packaged with the Solaris operating environment software, as well as the shells that can be obtained in the public domain. Another shell that is discussed, the secure shell, is an essential tool when extra security is required in a potentially vulnerable network environment.

A considerable amount of software also exists in the public domain, freely available and written by some of the best developers and technical experts in the field of UNIX. The second part of this chapter takes a look at some of the more popular public domain software applications, what they do, and where they can be obtained.

Top