Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.6.2.17 $; site sysvis.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!sysvis!george From: george@sysvis.UUCP Newsgroups: net.jokes Subject: Re: Forking a Shell (net.unix) Message-ID: <-1833216@sysvis.UUCP> Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 18:09:00 EST Article-I.D.: sysvis.-1833216 Posted: Mon Dec 10 18:09:00 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 13-Dec-84 00:46:03 EST Lines: 20 Nf-ID: #N:sysvis:-1833216:000:694 Nf-From: sysvis!george Dec 10 17:09:00 1984 Question: (recently from net.unix) What exactly does it mean to "fork a shell"? Answer #1: It depends on the context. It may mean that the program forks, and then execs a shell to perform some command (for example system(3)), or it may mean the mechanism by which the shell executes commands itself (ie by forking and and then execing). Either way, its a fairly loosely expressed term whose meaning should be evident from the context. Answer #2: In simpler terms, it means to start up another process running (usually) running parallel with the process being forked from. True Answer: Ask any hermit crab....! (or Nautilus?) Summary: There sure are a lot of forking answers here.