Introduction to Hilbish
Hilbish is a unique and adaptable shell designed for Lua enthusiasts, offering a range of customizable features. This Moon-powered shell combines ease of use with powerful capabilities, catering to both beginners and advanced users. With its configuration entirely in Lua, Hilbish opens up a world of endless customization, setting it apart from traditional shell scripts. This introduction will guide you through the core features and benefits of Hilbish, as well as how you can start using it.
Key Features
Hilbish provides a comfortable environment for those familiar with Lua, but it also supports traditional shell syntax within its interactive runner mode. This makes it versatile for various shell tasks. Beyond basic shell usage, Hilbish acts as a platform for complex scripting needs, ensuring users have control over their environment. The choice of Lua as the configuration language was motivated by its simplicity and efficiency, ideal for those who want to move beyond conventional shell scripting.
Getting Started with Hilbish
While Hilbish boasts a strong feature set, it's important to note that from version 2.0 onwards, it may not perform optimally on Windows. However, users can still compile it on Windows with some potential functional limitations. For a seamless experience, Hilbish provides distributed binaries that can be downloaded from GitHub or other package repositories.
Prerequisites
To build Hilbish from source, users need:
- Go 1.22 or higher
- Task, a tool for running task files
These tools are essential for compiling and installing Hilbish.
Building Hilbish
To compile Hilbish, begin by cloning the repository with the recursive flag due to the presence of Lua library submodules:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/Rosettea/Hilbish
cd Hilbish
go get -d ./...
Compile the project using:
task
For those who prefer a stable version, switch to the latest tagged release before building:
git checkout $(git describe --tags `git rev-list --tags --max-count=1`)
task build
Once compiled, install Hilbish globally with:
sudo task install
Contributing to Hilbish
The Hilbish project welcomes contributions of any kind. Whether you're reporting bugs, suggesting features, or submitting code, your involvement is valued. New contributors can refer to the CONTRIBUTING.md file available in the repository for guidance. The project's success is thanks to numerous contributors from the community, and it remains open to new ideas and development.
Licensing
Hilbish is available under the MIT license, allowing individuals to freely use, modify, and distribute the software. Additionally, images and assets related to the project are licensed under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
In summary, Hilbish offers a versatile and customizable shell environment for Lua users, combining traditional shell capabilities with modern scripting possibilities. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, Hilbish provides the tools and flexibility needed to enhance your shell experience.