GNU Bash
Bash is the GNU Project's shell. Bash is the Bourne Again SHell.Bash is an sh-compatible shell thatincorporates useful features from the Korn shell (ksh) and C shell(csh). It is intended to conform to the IEEE POSIX P1003.2/ISO 9945.2Shell and Tools standard. It offers functional improvements over shfor both programming and interactive use. In addition, most sh scriptscan be run by Bash without modification.
The improvements offered by Bash include:
- Command line editing
- Unlimited size command history
- Job Control
- Shell Functions and Aliases
- Indexed arrays of unlimited size
- Integer arithmetic in any base from two to sixty-four
The maintainer also has a bash page whichincludes Frequently-Asked-Questions.
Downloading Bash
Bashcan be found on the main GNU ftp server:http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash/(via HTTP) andftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash/(via FTP). It can also be foundon the GNU mirrors;pleaseusea mirror if possible.
Documentation
Documentation forBashis available online, asis documentation for most GNU software. You mayalso find more information aboutBashby runninginfo bashorman bash,or by looking at/usr/doc/bash/,/usr/local/doc/bash/,or similar directories on your system. A brief summary is available byrunning bash --help.
Mailing lists
To ask for help about bash, bash programming or bash shell scriptingplease use the<help-bash@gnu.org>mailing list. To report bugs or to discuss most aspects of developingbash please use the<bug-bash@gnu.org>mailing list.
Announcements aboutBashand most other GNU software are made on<info-gnu@gnu.org>.
To subscribe to these or any GNU mailing lists, please send an emptymail with a Subject: header of just subscribe to the relevant-request list. For example, to subscribe yourself to the GNUannouncement list, you would send mail to <info-gnu-request@gnu.org>.Or you can use the mailing list webinterface.
Getting involved
Development ofBash,and GNU in general, is a volunteer effort, and you can contribute. Forinformation, please read How to help GNU. If you'dlike to get involved, it's a good idea to join the discussion mailinglist (see above).
- Development
- For development sources, bug and patch trackers, and otherinformation, please see theBashproject pageat savannah.gnu.org.
- Translating Bash
- To translateBash'smessages into other languages, please see the Translation Projectpage forBash.If you have a new translation of the message strings,or updates to the existing strings, please have the changes made in thisrepository. Only translations from this site will be incorporated intoBash.For more information, see the TranslationProject.
- Maintainer
- Bashis currently being maintained byChet Ramey.Please use the mailing lists for contact.
Licensing
Bashis free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under theterms of the GNU General Public License as published by the FreeSoftware Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at youroption) any later version.