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Shell ○꠹｜Definition｜1st｜20251119205401-00-⌔
Shell (computing)
An operating system shell is a computer program that provides relatively broad and direct access to the system on which it runs. The term shell refers to how it is a relatively thin layer around an operating system.12
Most shells are command-line interface (CLI) programs. Some graphical user interfaces (GUI) also include shells.
Printed 2026-06-28.
Link to original Footnotes
“The Internet’s fifth man”, Brain scan, The Economist, London: Economist Group, December 13, 2013, Mr Pouzin created a program called RUNCOM that helped users automate tedious and repetitive commands. That program, which he described as a “shell” around the computer’s whirring innards, gave inspiration—and a name—to an entire class of software tools, called command-line shells, that still lurk below the surface of modern operating systems. ↩
Raymond, Eric S. (ed.). “shell”. The Jargon File. ↩
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