The MirBSD Korn Shell is a software application designed as a versatile and robust Unix shell featuring a programming language based on the Korn shell. It supports interactive and scripting use and includes features such as enhanced job control, input and output redirection, and command-line editing.
I recently had the pleasure of testing out mksh (MirBSD Korn Shell) in my capacity as a software reviewer. As a successor to pdksh, mksh offers both DFSG-free and OSD-compliant functionality, making it an ideal native bourne/POSIX/korn shell for users of the MirOS BSD operating system. Additionally, mksh is designed with versatility in mind, ensuring that it is readily available to users of other UNIX-like operating systems as well.
In order to compile mksh, users will need a bourne or POSIX shell, such as Solaris /bin/sh or the Z shell, a C compiler (currently only the GNU Compiler Collection is supported, but developers are working to expand compatibility), system and C library header files, and the standard C runtime. It is also necessary to have a set of standard UNIX tools on a supported operating system, including any recent BSD; Darwin, Apple Mac OSX; Interix (Microsoft Services for Unix 3.5, maybe Subsystem for Unix Applications); GNU/Cygwin; UWIN; GNU/Linux (libc5, glibc, and uClibc systems are tested), Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, GNU/HURD or GNU/Linux; Sun Solaris (8, 9, 10, 11), OpenSolaris; some AIX; HP-UX 11i; OSF/1.
Once properly installed, users can utilize mksh with relative ease. Only the C runtime and any supplemental libraries the binary was linked against are necessary for basic use. However, /bin/ed is recommended for interactive use, and a controlling terminal is highly advisable in order to ensure that job control functions properly.
It's also worth noting that if users do not wish to compile mksh themselves, there is an option to download the mksh package delivered through Fink by Andreas "gecko2" Gockel. Lastly, as with all good software products, mksh is released under the MirOS License. Overall, I found mksh to be a solid and reliable choice for shell functionality, and would definitely recommend it to other users of MirOS BSD, as well as other UNIX-like operating systems.
In order to compile mksh, users will need a bourne or POSIX shell, such as Solaris /bin/sh or the Z shell, a C compiler (currently only the GNU Compiler Collection is supported, but developers are working to expand compatibility), system and C library header files, and the standard C runtime. It is also necessary to have a set of standard UNIX tools on a supported operating system, including any recent BSD; Darwin, Apple Mac OSX; Interix (Microsoft Services for Unix 3.5, maybe Subsystem for Unix Applications); GNU/Cygwin; UWIN; GNU/Linux (libc5, glibc, and uClibc systems are tested), Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, GNU/HURD or GNU/Linux; Sun Solaris (8, 9, 10, 11), OpenSolaris; some AIX; HP-UX 11i; OSF/1.
Once properly installed, users can utilize mksh with relative ease. Only the C runtime and any supplemental libraries the binary was linked against are necessary for basic use. However, /bin/ed is recommended for interactive use, and a controlling terminal is highly advisable in order to ensure that job control functions properly.
It's also worth noting that if users do not wish to compile mksh themselves, there is an option to download the mksh package delivered through Fink by Andreas "gecko2" Gockel. Lastly, as with all good software products, mksh is released under the MirOS License. Overall, I found mksh to be a solid and reliable choice for shell functionality, and would definitely recommend it to other users of MirOS BSD, as well as other UNIX-like operating systems.
What's New
Version R37c: N/A