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The interactive shell is also called REPL which stands for read, evaluate, print, loop. Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. To start the Python shell, simply type python and hit Enter in the terminal: C:\Users\Suchandra Datta>python You can get a lot of detailed information regarding the Python shell in the official docs. The Python Shell gives you a command line interface you can use to specify commands directly to the Python interpreter in an interactive manner. This means that the Python interpreter reads a line of code, executes that line, then repeats this process if there are no errors. To access the terminal on Ubuntu, hit Ctrl + Alt + T. To access the terminal on Windows, hit the Windows logo + R, type cmd, and press Enter. This is why it's also called the command line. The terminal is the program that interacts with the shell and allows us to communicate with it via text-based commands. The shell is also called the command processor. Shell is another program, whose job is to take input and decide and execute the required kernel program to do the job and show the output. Kernel programs are the ones who perform the actual tasks, like creating a file or sending interrupts.
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Operating system programs are of two types, called shell and kernel programs. They perform tasks like file handling, memory management, and resource management, and they help your applications run smoothly.Īll the work we do on computers, like analyzing data in Excel or playing games, is facilitated by the operating system.
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What is a Shell?Īn operating system is made up of a bunch of programs. There are two ways of doing it: using the Python shell or writing it as a script and running it in the terminal. When you're starting out learning a new programming language, your very first program is likely to be one that prints "hello world!".
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