Linux which shell is running?

S

shivam99aa

Disciple
When we start linux based o/s in GUI mode then as said GNOME is the shell running and when we open the terminal then any shell say bash for here start running.

So that means that in GNOME when we start a terminal then at that time their are actually two shell running simultaneously in the system.Both gnome and bash at the same time.

But what i know is that only one shell run at a time.So what is this .pllzzz clear my doubt on this.
 
GNOME is actually just a desktop environment.
If you are asking about GNOME Shell then it is "core user interface of the GNOME desktop environment starting with version 3"
and shell the term shell is loosely defined "A shell is software that provides an interface for users of an operating system which provides access to the services of a kernel. However, the term is also applied very loosely to applications and may include any software that is "built around" a particular component, such as web browsers and email clients that are "shells" for HTML rendering engines. The name shell originates from shells being an outer layer of interface between the user and the internals of the operating system (the kernel)."

GNOME Shell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shell (computing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I do get your reply.
But i want to clear it ,it means that what GNOME shell is,it is just an interface to the GNOME environment and at the base GNOME environment is also using bash(say) for communicating to the kernal.

One more thing ,can you clear me on the terminal thing.Means is the shell at base is behind it that or it is the GNOME environment behind it.
 
shivam99aa said:
I do get your reply.
But i want to clear it ,it means that what GNOME shell is,it is just an interface to the GNOME environment and at the base GNOME environment is also using bash(say) for communicating to the kernal.

One more thing ,can you clear me on the terminal thing.Means is the shell at base is behind it that or it is the GNOME environment behind it.
Click to expand...

No Gnome does not uses bash to communicate with kernel(not kernal).
Bash like any other process is a simple process which takes input from user, interprets it and takes action depending on input.
You communicate with kernel using system calls.

Any process, GUI or non-GUI can use system calls.

In short, bash is a shell for you so that you can enter something and see it. Gnome shell on the other hand is actually not a terminal emulator. I have left GNOME long back and use dwm now, so I will not give you any wrong answers. In short, I do not know and do not care what is Gnome shell. Please read up more on it.
 
shivam99aa said:
Okk I hope anyone knowing more in linux will post here to clear this thing.:)
Click to expand...

I may be adding to the confusion, but here goes.


Linux, or GNU/Linux operating Systems are basically terminal driven, that is a basic Linux OS will boot into a text based terminal or Command Line Interface, and can use a number of interpreters (the most common being bash - Bourne Again SHell ). On top of this for when a Graphical User Interface is required (GNOME, KDE, XFCE Unity) is the 'X' graphics environment, on top of which will sit a Window Manager (for example KWin as used by KDE). and on top of the Window Manager the GUI Desktop Environment (GNOME, KDE, XFCE Unity LXDE). Sometimes a Linux distro will use only a Window Manager on top of 'X' as the Desktop environment (WindowMaker for example).

When one is using a full desktop version of Linux one will normally be operating in a GUI shell (or Desktop Environment, such as GNOME 3 Shell, KDE 4, XFCE), this is how the majority of Linux users interact with their computer, via a GUI shell in exactly the same way as Windows and Mac users do. Unlike Windows, but similar to Macs, a Linux user has full access to the text based Terminal, either via a Terminal Emulator (which usually loads a BASH interpretor, but can be configured to load any other Interpretor, such as CSH, and many others; Or, and this is where Linux differs from Windows and Mac, directly by using ALT + CTRL + F! .... F6 with F7 to return you to the GUI shell.
 
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