gno/doc/refs/gsh/glossary.sgml
gdr-ftp 5eed4a4a87 gsh user's manual:
- initial checkin.  Only minor changes from the v2.0.4 version.
	  It still needs to be reviewed as to currency.
1999-02-21 18:46:51 +00:00

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;; $Id: glossary.sgml,v 1.1 1999/02/21 18:46:50 gdr-ftp Exp $
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<glossary id="gsh-glossary">
<title>Glossary</title>
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<glossentry>
<glossterm></glossterm>
<glossdef>
<para>
</para>
</glossdef>
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<glossentry>
<glossterm>Alias</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A name used as an
abbreviation for one or more commands. An alias allows
you to replace any command string with a short sequence
of characters.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Applesoft</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
An implementation of BASIC for the Apple II.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>APW</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Apple Programmer's Workshop. Similar to ORCA.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>BASIC</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. A simple computer
language.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Built-in Command</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A command processed by <command>gsh</command>. These commands are not
external to the shell, but are included within the
<command>gsh</command> program.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Command</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
An action for <command>gsh</command> to perform. Commands can be
either simple or compound. A simple command is an alias assignment,
variable assignment, I/O redirection, or built-in
command. A compound command is a pipeline.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Directory</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A special
type of file that contains a list of other files; usually
used to categorize files related in some way.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Environment</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The state of a process, which includes information such as
its open files, current directory (working directory),
and local and global variables. Three environments exist
under <command>gsh</command>:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Child Environment</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The environment of the child process.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Current Environment</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The environment of the current process.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Parent Environment</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The environment of the parent process.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Environment file</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A file that is interpreted by an application to allow the
user to customize its operation. For <command>gsh</command>, this
file is <filename>gshrc</filename>.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Export</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A way to pass a variable from a parent process to child process.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>File</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
An object used
to store data and/or programs. On the IIgs, files
are tagged with types such as EXE, SRC, TXT, and so forth.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Filter</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A command
that reads from its standard input and writes to its
standard output. For example, a filter program could be
written to convert all characters to upper case. Filters
are used mainly in pipelines.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Flag</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A character
used to represent an option to a command. Flags are
either short or long options whose character
representations are "-" and "+".
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Glob</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Slang for Pathname Expansion.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>GNO/ME</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
GNO Multitasking Environment. The complete package including
the GNO kernel and the GNO Shell.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>GNO Kernel</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Heart of GNO/ME. Executes processes when asked by the GNO Shell.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>GNO Shell</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Provides
an interface between the user and the GNO kernel.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>gsh</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
GNO Implementation of a UNIX-like shell.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>GS/OS</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
16 bit
Operating System for the Apple IIgs.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>History</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A variable
number of command-lines saved by <command>gsh</command> for future
reference. The number of command-lines saved is dependent
on the HISTORY environment variable.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>History file</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A file
containing command-lines entered while in a <command>gsh</command>
session. The number of command-lines saved is dependent
on the SAVEHIST environment variable.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Interrupt</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A signal
generated by a sequence of keyboard characters or by a
command that terminates the current executing process,
unless the process has set up a trap to handle the
interrupt signal.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>I/O Redirection</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The
process of changing the standard input, standard output,
and standard error associated with a process so that it
is redirected to a file instead of the console.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Job</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A set of related
processes. A job can be either:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Background Job</term>
<listitem>
<para>
A process
that executes with the current process. Background jobs
are not associated with the terminal.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Foreground Job</term>
<listitem>
<para>
A process
that is currently executing and which is associated with
the terminal.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Multiprocessing</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Indicates a machine with more than one CPU.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Multitasking</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The ability to run more than one program at a time, or the
illusion of more than one program running at a time;
usually the latter.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>ORCA</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Shell programing
environment for the Apple //gs. Also a type of whale.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Path Search</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The means of searching a pathname list for a command or
script.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pathname</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A string used to identify a file.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pathname Completion</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The means of generating all pathnames matching a given pattern.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pathname Expansion</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The means of replacing a pattern with a list of pathnames
matching that pattern.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pattern</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A string of
characters used to match literal characters and/or
multiple characters.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Permission</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Each file
has certain permissions associated with it: destroy,
rename, backup, invisible, write, and read.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pipe</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A conduit
through which a stream of characters can pass from one
process to another. This is accomplished by linking the
standard output of one process to the standard input of a
second process.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Pipeline</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Two or more
processes connected together by pipes.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Process</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A single
thread of execution that consists of a program and an
execution environment. If a process creates another process,
the creator is known as the <emphasis>parent process</emphasis>;
the created process is known as the <emphasis>child process</emphasis>.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Process ID</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Each active process is uniquely identified by a positive
integer called the process id.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>ProDOS</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
8-bit Disk
Operating System for Apple II computers.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Prompt</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A message
displayed by <command>gsh</command> when it is ready to receive a
command.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Quoting</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A means of
including special characters as arguments to a command or
as the command name. Certain characters have certain
meanings to <command>gsh</command> and quoting them makes
<command>gsh</command> ignore them.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Reserved Word</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A word
that is treated specially by <command>gsh</command>. This word is
part of the <command>gsh</command> grammar.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Script</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A sequence of
commands contained in a file.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Signal</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
An asynchronous message that consists of a number or name
that can be sent from one process to another.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Standard Error</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The file associated with error messages for a process. This
file is usually the terminal.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Standard Input</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The file associated with a processes input. This file is
usually the terminal.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Standard Output</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The file associated with a processes output. This file is
usually the terminal.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Tilde Expansion</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Words beginning with "~" are treated
specially by <command>gsh</command>. The "~" is
expanded to the value of the HOME environment variable.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>UNIX</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
Popular
operating system which has growing use in education and
business. One of the first operating systems to support
multitasking.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Variable</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
A named
location in <command>gsh</command> that contains text. The text of a
variable can be expanded in a command by preceding the
variable name with a dollar sign ($).
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Wildcard</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
See Pattern and Pathname Expansion.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
<glossentry>
<glossterm>Working directory</glossterm>
<glossdef><para>
The current directory.
</para></glossdef></glossentry>
</glossary>