Re: [MacPerl] Further qualification on my MacPerl shell project

[pvhp@forte.com (Peter Prymmer)]

Charles Cave wrote:

> I want to clarify what my Macperl shell is trying to do.
> 
> Firstly, I want to write one Macperl script and not install any extra
> software such as FreeBSD.  The shell will be a productivity tool to manage
> files - text and graphics by offering short, easy to use commands to
> rename, delete, move and view files (mostly downloaded from the Internet).
> 
> The basic logic is to prompt for a command, execute the command,
> and prompt again until the "quit" command is given.  

Sounds good.

> The script keeps track of the working directory which can be
> changed (chdir function) with the "cd" and "pop" commands,
> as well as through the Mac toolbox call.

Ah, cd and pop are shell built ins on unix.  Despite the fact that cd has to
be built into a shell for it to be useful on unix it is available as a 
standalone program in very POSIX compliant systems!  Just owing to the 
design of unix shells cd and pop are not listed at  
http://language.perl.com/ppt/what.html which just goes to show the project's
unix-centrism  (they need help).

> > Tom Christiansen's unix reconstruction project was intended to provide
> > unix shell tools to non-Unix platforms such as the Mac running MacOS.
> > One would have to bear in mind that many folks who contributed to
> > that project never Mac-ified their code and it could use some careful
> > review.
> 
> This can be found at 
>   http://language.perl.com/ppt/src/sh/index.html
> but I dont think it is much use to me because it is designed to run on Unix.
> A quick look at the source of a prototype by Tim Newsome involves
> starting processes, opening pipes, etc.

But you could steal^H er, borrow things from it couldn't you?  Actually for 
a login shell I prefer tcsh and don't care for sh so I am not real thrilled
with the idea of porting that sh-in-perl to the Mac.  If others wanted to
that would be great though.

> Perhaps my description of a "shell" should be renamed as a "command
> driven file manager".   CDFM.

Whatever the name it certainly sounds useful and fun.  I hope that 
noone, including yours truly, discouraged you.

> > Appropos another topic: is the MacPerl BOF going to happen Sunday?
> > I may make it to Monterey on Sunday.
> 
> What is BOF ??

I don't get much opportunity to post to the macperl list and I committed
the sin of bringing in a tiny question that had nothing to do with
the subject of writing a unix shell in perl for the Mac.

>From rdm's post it appears that there will be a "Birds Of a Feather" session
for MacPerlers Sunday evening at the Open Source Conference in Monterey 
California.  I had noted that at the official O'Reilly web page:  
http://conference.oreilly.com/bof/ there is no mention of Macs hence I 
posted the question to the list.  Apologies for not having made it a 
separate post.

Peter Prymmer



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