Shell Programming and Scripting

I like fpmurphy's ideas. It sounds like you're trying to create a "shell for unix dummies", which is also a good idea, but completely different than what fpmurphy is talking about. Also, your idea can be handled very simply as extensions to zsh. What else did you have in mind besides "command not found" and of prompting users with helps and tips?

Speaking of providing user tips, is there a database of command-line tips, formatted for use by "fortune" ?

I think that anyone engaging in such a task should themselves have a vision for it.

What is your vision, nsharath?

Hello sir,
I have included some other features like :-

* Script application
In my college my prof gave me this requirement. He said during a LAB EXAM. I wanna catch the cheating students.So need to :-
a)catch the login IDs of students who mailed the code to whom

b)what is the login and logout times.To know how long each worked on the given exam question(using last command)

c)verify the output of every student by viewing their typescripts.

*reminder application
this should simulate the mobile phones reminder application.The shell should pop us about the meetings,etc that each user has when a note is saved to remind him.

*chatting
chatting GUI like the yahoo messenger.

*session invoker
this makes use of the screen command which has a wide range advantages as we can invoke the session in which we were working previously.

* man page generator
today we write various scripts which can be used as commands when executable permissions are given to it. Now this module will create a man page for your command once you enter the description in a text file and give it.

Well till now I have worked on the above.Can you please give me some more ideas so that I and my team would like to work on it and expand the utilities of this shell.

awaiting your reply sir!!!

Uhm, all except "Reminder application" can be done with existing shells and scripts. I think a Reminder Application could be done with a cron job, but having it in the shell might be a bit cleaner. Having it tied into "screen" would be best.

A reminder option script can easily be built for ksh93 using the alarm discipline function. It is undocumented but type "alarm --man" to view the man page. For zsh, it is only a matter of writing a suitable module.

Other shells could be easily modified support such an option by modifying the main loop. Look at how MAILCHECK is implemented in csh/tcsh.

oh thanks for ur views sir.
Can you advice me on what topics I should work on....so that I can contribute to this shell........

I think the consensus is: DONT reinvent the shell. Just extend zsh to fulfill your criteria.