[sgarland]

People say that (and the same for Python), but I just don’t get it – and I’m a huge fan of Python.

With shell, I can take the same tools I’ve already been using as one-liners while fiddling around, and reuse them. There is no syntax mapping to do in my head.

With any other language, I have to map the steps, and probably also add various modules (likely within stdlib, but still). That’s not nothing.

I’ve rewritten a somewhat-complicated bash script into Python. It takes some time, especially when you want to add tests.

[tambourine_man]

Completely agree.

I have a rule that if I’m using arrays I should move to Python, PHP, etc. It’s a nice red flag. Arrays in Bash are terrible and a sign that things are getting more complicated.

[ndsipa_pomu]

Akshuaaaly, I think you'll find that any BASH script uses an array for the command line arguments.

Personally, I'm fine with BASH arrays (even associative ones) and yes, the syntax can be opaque, but they get the job done. I find that the long-term advantages of BASH outweigh the many, many problems with it. (If you want something to keep running for 20 years on a variety of different machines and architectures, then BASH is easier to manage than almost any other language).

[tambourine_man]

Command line argument parsing is already a complicated issue in Bash. It’s not a hard rule, but whenever I have to Google Bash’s array syntax I think to myself “stop it now, you’ll regret it”.

[xolox]

I use the same heuristic for when I should switch from shell to Python :-). Arrays (especially associative ones, at least for me) are a good indication that a more advanced language like Python might be more appropriate than shell.