Ole Tange writes: > $SHELL has a well-defined meaning: It is the login $SHELL.
The well defined meaning of the SHELL variable is what POSIX says: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- SHELL This variable shall represent a pathname of the user's preferred command language interpreter. If this interpreter does not conform to the Shell Command Language in XCU Shell Command Language, utilities may behave differently from those described in POSIX.1-2008. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- Note it doesn't say anything about the login shell. Yes, the login shell assumes that the user prefers this shell and sets this variable to itself. But if the user changes it later, then there shouldn't be any second guessing based on what the login shell was (this may not even be under the users control). And note the admonishment about shells that don't confirm to POSIX: there are certain situations where you really don't want SHELLÂ to be set to tcsh or fish or whatever your non-POSIX interactive shell currently or usually is. Regards, Achim. -- +<[Q+ Matrix-12 WAVE#46+305 Neuron microQkb Andromeda XTk Blofeld]>+ Samples for the Waldorf Blofeld: http://Synth.Stromeko.net/Downloads.html#BlofeldSamplesExtra