Shell Shock or Why Shell

[Stanley Friesen]

In article <4514 at rochester.UUCP> quiroz at 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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