Linux @lemmy.ml petsoi @discuss.tchncs.de 11mo ago

Bored With Bash? Change the Default Shell in Linux

itsfoss.com How to Change the Default Shell in Linux?

Tried another shell and liked it so much that you want to use it all the time by making it the default shell? Here's how you can change the default shell in Linux.

42 comments

Boring is good. I don't want to be surprised by the software I use.
- Zsh is a nice balance of modern features and backwards compatibility with bash.
- I switched to zsh (with ohmyzsh) a couple years ago on my Mac and I have to say while it's fairly stable, it gets hung up on itself and does weird shit from time to time.
  
  I think bash has wigged out on me once in the past 20 years (that wasn't obviously something I've done).
  
  The first time I used zsh, I was an overenthusiastic Linux noob and got too customisation happy, and I clogged it up. I used bash for a while to ground myself. It's good to have experience with the thing that's standard.
  
  Cool story bro
The article just describes the how, but gives no reasons for a why.

So, why would anyone move away from the de-facto standard bash, except for some rare circumstances like having a small system and using busybox?
- You probably never used fish shell.
  
  Yeah, and I suspect most reading the article haven't either, so the above guy's question stands - what's wrong with Bash in comparison to the others?
- I agree that the article lacks the why, but choice is a huge part of Linux. Why Debian and not Fedora? Why KDE and not GNOME? Why Vim and not Emacs?
  
  Each provides something similar, but each is different.
  
  Bash is a great default. I like Bash. However I think ZSH provides better tab completion. The fish shell provides command highlighting.
  
  It's worth trying others to see what works for you.
- Fish is actually user friendly and easy to learn. The interactive completions are better than any other shell and are something I don't want to live without.
  
  It differs from bash in some esoteric ways, but any issues you might encounter as a result are easily worked around by putting shebangs in your scrips, which you should be doing anyway, and bash -c 'your command'.
  
  Honorable mention for nushell, but that one differs from bash a little too much to pick up quickly. However, having an object-oriented shell is pretty sick.
- Because you're bored. It says so right in the title.
  
  Personally I don't see the point of changing the shell either. Bash is more than good enough for my use and any other shell is going to have the disadvantage of not being the ubiquitous standard so it is always going to have an uphill battle to dislodge bash.
  
  That said, if people want to play around with a new shell just for the sake of it, why not? I like to play around with exotic window managers myself, not because my regular plasma desktop doesn't suffice, but because I like to try something different every now and then.
- We do what we must because we can.
- To learn something new. Which can be boring and frustrating (depending of how "new" the thing is) but it will be (always) fun in the end.
  
  Why? Because you learned something new.
  
  "Oh, but learning new things is boring!"
  
  Then it's time to (re)evaluate your life choices.
  
  Why? Because you learned something new.
  
  Well, at the moment I have to learn new things on every front, so adding "learning a new shell" is not high on my priority list.
- It's in the title: 'Boredom'.
  
  It's just for the of trying something new, which describes a lot of Linux users.
ZSH 4 lyf
Bored with driving your car with a wheel and pedals? Change the default handling device in your vehicle
- How do I put it into mech mode?
  
  That sounds like a way more transformative change than simply changing the handling device sir, motivated by an urge to look cool to outsiders over any practicality
  
  you want to go from linux to mac basically
- Yeah, how do I change it to a PS2 controller?
  
  i will need to confirm that you don't intend to take your vehicle underwater
tip: don't install fish or whatever, change your default shell, THEN uninstall fish because you don't like it.

Change your default shell back first.

I have seen way too many support posts where people paint their self I to a corner doing that.

or just don't change the default shell.

run fish as needed, then exit back to bash when done.

I have
- Add it to your .bashrc so it autolaunches, but fails back to bash.
Honestly I prefer https://ohmyposh.dev it's damn nice. Not that it's a different shell, but makes any shell look nice
- It looks pretty, but IMO one of the selling points of zsh is that it allows async updating of the prompt, allowing you to use slow commands like "git status" without adding a delay every time the prompt needs to be printed.
  
  E.g. the default prompt from prezto is quite light and responsive, but when inside a git repo adds the info on the right side (shows when you have commits ahead/behind the remote branch, stashes, modified/deleted/added/staged files, etc) when that becomes available.
  
  Didn't look like any of the example themes on ohmyposh.dev had the $RPROMPT stuff, which I guess would be difficult support for a cross-shell theming engine.
Nice. But I want to change the default terminal in gnome but gnome-files doesn't respect my choice. ...
- This might be right up your alley.
i use nushell
- I use fish

42 comments