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From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: Shell Shock or Why Shell
Message-ID: <202@psivax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 14:16:05 EST
Article-I.D.: psivax.202
Posted: Mon Dec 10 14:16:05 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Dec-84 05:36:52 EST
References: <24900002@siemens.UUCP> <4514@rochester.UUCP>
Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley friesen)
Organization: Pacesetter Systems Inc., Sylmar, CA
Lines: 22
Summary: 

In article <4514@rochester.UUCP> quiroz@rochester.UUCP (Cesar Quiroz) writes:
>
>	Now, how the metaphor of a shell *around* a kernel appeared 
>	(I guess most people think of the command interpreter as built
>	*on top*, not *around* the kernel) will certainly be a nice
>	story to know, so let's encourage the First Born of UnixLand 
>	to speak and enlighten the Net People.
>
>Cesar

	I believe the terminology comes from the Multics system,
the spiritual predecessor of Unix.  This system pioneered the concept
of software "rings" or layers.  That is the system was implemented as
as series of progressively more abstract, more or less independent layers.
The command language interpreter is one of the *outer* layers, and based
on the term "ring" may be percieved as surrounding the rest of the system.
like a shell.
-- 

				Sarima (Stanley Friesen)

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