On Wed, 19 Jan 2000 17:08:14 -0700 
 dkphoto <dkphoto@cyber-wire.com> wrote:

 > According to the docs I have on Linux, if I want to change shells, I have 
 > to do this:
 > 
 > chsh nameOtheShelliWant
 > 
 > chsh on bsd gets me a nasty message from the system that says go home and 
 > play on some other computer. Looking up how to change shells in the man 
 > pages is not much more help. In fact, it just flat doesn't tell me how to 
 > do it.

Did you *actually read* the chsh(1) manual page?!

    .
    .
    .

    chpass [-a list] [-s newshell] [user]

    .
    .
    .

    -s      The -s option attempts to change the user's shell to newshell.

So, "chsh -s name-of-the-shell-you-want" would work.

 > By sheer accident I discovered that just typing the name of the shell I 
 > want to switch to does it automatically. Now THAT is a distinctly nice 
 > feature that you can't even find out about IF YOU"RE LOOKING FOR IT!!!

Uh... that doesn't change your shell.  It merely starts one.  Just like
any other program you specify.

 > I also discovered, that unlike what the Linux books tell me, just typing 
 > a plain English "shutdown now" works! I don't need parameters, spaces, 
 > hyphens, nothing. Please don't tell me that bsd is going to be another 
 > beta max!? A better product that loses due to poor marketing and zero PR?
 > I think the very first thing that someone ought to do is put up an 
 > "advantages" page. (What can bsd do/offer that other flavors of Unix 
 > can't?)

Instead of reading a Linux book, how about a BSD-flavored "UNIX in a Nutshell",
or something else like it?

I mean, would you be as surprised if Solaris behaved differently from Linux
with regards to programs not specified by a standard (e.g. POSIX, X/Open)?

        -- Jason R. Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov>