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Using dash or ksh as default shell
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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As you've mentioned in other threads, bash is a hard requirement for the OS, so if it's already installed, and the default on most Linux distros, bash is probably the best option.
The dash shell isn't designed to be user interactive. It's a lightweight scripting shell/language.
The ksh shell is an older standard shell. Years ago I worked for a company that ran corporate Unix systems and on those systems only ksh and tcsh were available. Ksh was the default, and as someone only familiar with bash it was a bit different but mostly the same. So there is at least one point for maybe choosing ksh.
However my personal shell preference is zsh. When I write scripts I do so using bash. The two shells are 99% similar on a day to day basis, but I prefer zsh for a user interface. So I use one for day to day and the other for scripting.
Other threads have also mentioned fish, which is also a great choice if you don't know where to start.
Are zsh or fish "heavier" or "bloated", maybe. But remember to consider your attack surface. If your house is on fire it doesn't matter of you fix the leaky faucet in bathroom or the kitchen.
Thank you!