The csh (C Shell) is a Unix shell created by Bill Joy while he was a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley in the late 1970s. It was inspired by the C programming language, which is reflected in its syntax and control structures. The csh shell provides a rich set of features for interactive use and scripting, including job control, command history, and aliasing. It also supports a variety of built-in commands and scripting capabilities.
One of the key features of csh is its user-friendly syntax, which is similar to the C programming language. This makes it easier for users who are familiar with C to write shell scripts. Additionally, csh includes features such as command substitution, wildcard matching, and a powerful set of built-in functions for string manipulation and arithmetic operations.
| Feature | csh | bash |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax | C-like | Bourne-like |
| Command History | Yes | Yes |
| Aliases | Yes | Yes |
| Job Control | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting Capabilities | Moderate | Extensive |
| Built-in Commands | Yes | Yes |
| Command Substitution | Yes | Yes |
| Wildcard Matching | Yes | Yes |
| String Manipulation | Basic | Advanced |
| Arithmetic Operations | Basic | Advanced |
While csh offers a user-friendly syntax and a variety of features for interactive use, bash is generally preferred for scripting due to its more extensive capabilities and advanced features. bash also has better support for modern scripting practices and is more widely used in the Unix and Linux communities.