Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 10:55:57 +0200 From: Hans Ottevanger <hans@beastielabs.net> To: Baptiste Daroussin <bapt@FreeBSD.org>, current@freebsd.org, arch@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: [HEADSUP] making /bin/sh the default shell for root Message-ID: <97ebc390-a19e-3203-7016-ce541796eb18@beastielabs.net> In-Reply-To: <20210922083645.4vnoajyvwq6wfhdf@aniel.nours.eu> References: <20210922083645.4vnoajyvwq6wfhdf@aniel.nours.eu>
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On 9/22/21 10:36 AM, Baptiste Daroussin wrote: > Hello, > > TL;DR: this is not a proposal to deorbit csh from base!!! > > For years now, csh is the default root shell for FreeBSD, csh can be confusing > as a default shell for many as all other unix like settled on a bourne shell > compatible interactive shell: zsh, bash, or variant of ksh. > > Recently our sh(1) has receive update to make it more user friendly in > interactive mode: > * command completion (thanks pstef@) > * improvement in the emacs mode, to make it behave by default like other shells > * improvement in the vi mode (in particular the vi edit to respect $EDITOR) > * support for history as described by POSIX. > > This makes it a usable shell by default, which is why I would like to propose to > make it the default shell for root starting FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE (not MFCed) > > If no strong arguments has been raised until October 15th, I will make this > proposal happen. > > Again just in case: THIS IS NOT A PROPOSAL TO REMOVE CSH FROM BASE! > > Best regards, > Baptiste > Hello, I applaud the proposal to change the default login shell of root to /bin/sh. As you mention the rest of the Unix(-like) world has used a Bourne-like root login shell forever. It is one of the first things I change on a new FreeBSD install anyway. While there, you could change "Charlie &" in the gecos field to something more sensible, e.g. just "Superuser". I know Charlie is there since 4.2BSD, but the reference to a long forgotten baseball player is probably lost by now. Also, a lot of explanation is often needed when users receive (automated) emails from Charlie Root. Once the login shell of root has changed to /bin/sh, I do not see any reason to keep toor around. It is there since 4.3BSD, but I don't know anybody who uses it in the long term. Many will just change the login shell of root to a Bourne-like shell right away. I have experimented a bit with the new usability features of sh in 14.0 and I must say that it was quite a positive experience. I could easily suppress the urge to install and use bash instead of sh. I wonder if the changes (but not the ones to /etc/passwd) could be MFC'd in a few months, once they have matured a bit, so they would land in 13.1. As you mention elsewhere in this thread, usage in scripts is not affected by these changes. And for interactive use it could be a POLA violation, but the astonishment would be a positive one. -- Kind regards, Hans Ottevanger Eindhoven, Netherlands. hans@beastielabs.net www.beastielabs.net
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