Find solution
How to execute Unix shell script from Windows?

Is there something better than Bash for shell scripting?

  • Tomorrow I have to script a bunch of tasks using bash and, frankly, I am not looking forwards to it.  Any suggestions for something similar but better?  It has to be lighter-weight than Python, stable, and the ability to use it on Windows as well as Unix would be a plus.

  • Answer:

    Back in the dark ages, this question was asked frequently, and the inevitable result was the creation of Perl. There are tons of scripting languages in the world, but Perl was written very specifically for system administration on Unix. As a result, it is really well suited for the task. Additionally, if you are comfortable with bash scripting, you'll find that Perl shares many of the same concepts and paradigms. If you bite the bullet you can work your way through the free version of Learning Perl in an afternoon: http://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/perl3/lperl/index.htm Once you get modestly proficient with the language, you can start taking advantage of the huge library of modules available on CPAN, which will often do more or less what you want already. http://www.perl.org/ http://www.perl.org/cpan.html

Mark Nelson at Quora Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

The shell grammar has the absolute lightest possible syntax for spawning new processes and manipulating their output.  Embrace it! Ryan Tomayko makes the argument to use POSIX shell (http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/contents.html) rather than Bash because Bash as a language is too big.  I believed him, dove in, and determined he's quite right.

Richard Crowley

There are a lot of scripting languages in the market, however each has its own use.   For shell scripting, you have other options like ksh and csh scripting. In most systems ksh scripting is used. bash is majorly used for default command interpreter. csh is a c styled scripting language and it can come handy as well.   Perl is not entierly a UNIX scripting language and it cannot, and should not be used for a general replacement for UNIX shell scripting. Perl has better web handling. UNIX scripting is closer to UNIX and hence file processing with awk/sed/grep etc plus UNIX commands is easier in them. Perl can also be used for report generation, for which UNIX is very limited. Then there are TCL/TK as well.   Moving on from Perl, you have options like Python and Ruby as well, both being scripting languages.   Both Python and Ruby are object based languages, where as Perl is an object oriented language.   Both Ruby and Python come with many web architectures, however I have noticed that for Python is better than Ruby for backend scripting, where as both Ruby and Python are used for building websites as well.   Overall, every scripting language is designed for particular usage. File Processing / Jobs: Preferable BASH/KSH/CSH Reporting / Small Web: Perl Heavy Scripting/Website: Python Websites/Heavy Websites: Ruby I hope I could satisfy. If you like like the answer, please click on 'Thanks' below.   Regards, Rohit Nigam

Rohit Nigam

You could consider other lightweight scripting languages such as lua or possibly tcl. http://www.lua.org/ http://lua-users.org/wiki/LuaVersusPython http://www.tcl.tk/

Ken Quon

If you know C/C++, try tcsh. It's my default shell. It's available on most unixes as part of the default install.  It's root is csh so it has a C-like syntax, but is easier than csh to use interactively.

Pat Roberts

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.