Shell Shock or Why Shell

[Ed Gould]

> 
> I've heard that the terminology "shell" is a result of some of the very
> early UNIX research being funded by Shell the oil company.  Has anyone else
> heard this?  Can someone verify that Shell did indeed fund some Bell Labs
> work?	-Dan A. Dickey

You gotta be kidding!  Fortunately, the name "shell" has a much
more rational and reasonable meaning.  It refers to the layering,
if you will, of the command interpreter around the kernel.  Hence,
the command interpreter (user interface) is the "shell" that is
seen by the outside world.

-- 
Ed Gould
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed