On Sunday 22 January 2012 01:21:42 pm Darrell Anderson wrote:
> > Unless you're already good at C++, just about any other
> > language is going to be faster
> > to program in.  Programmer time is more valuable than
> > machine time these days for
> > the majority of applications--and for small- to
> > medium-sized programs, no one is going
> > to notice the difference in execution speed between one and
> > three milliseconds anyway.
>
> A funny thing about speed. Possibly experienced coders see a difference
> whereas every day users probably do not. Yet speed is relative. Often I
> have read how shell scripts are slow. From a strict theoretical and design
> perspective, I am sure that is true. In certain iterative tests, I'm sure
> shell scripts can be shown to be slower than other scripting languages. Yet
> in my every day usage, and I have written a few long shell scripts, I don't
> notice anything. I once read a person's comment that once a shell script
> grows to beyond a few dozen lines that a person should move to Python or
> Perl. Okay. Whatever.


+1

Arch linux package manger make extensive use of bash.  Have a look at makepkg 
mkchroot and repo-add etc.

few dozen lines indeed ;)

I take it they have not seen my shell scripts :)

For system admin etc bash is great.