Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
The History of the First Computer Shell
BASH? PowerShell? It all traces back to 1963. And the work of an amazing Frenchman, CTTS, and Multics.
October 07, 2022
post photo preview

Powerful, “Command Line” computer interfaces have been around for — what seems like — forever. Interfaces where you can run multiple commands, one after another (in a batch)… where you can have simple “scripts” to tie those commands together.

That sort of “Shell” comes in so many forms… from SH and BASH on UNIX-like (and Linux) systems… to COMMAND.COM and PowerShell on Windows.

The text “Shell” is everywhere. And has been for longer than most can even remember.

But it had to start somewhere. Someone had to make the first “Shell”.

This is that story.

And that story starts… with a man. His name is Louis Pouzin.

The Man

Louis Pouzin was born, in 1931, in a small town in almost the smack-dab-middle of France: Chantenay-Saint-Imbert.

Louis Pouzin. With a sweet mustache. Photo credit: Jérémie Bernard

In the 1960’s Pouzin would move from France — and his job managing programmers at Bull (a French computer company) — to Massachusetts. His new job would put him working on an ambitious computing project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology…

The Compatible Time-Sharing System

In 1961, the world’s first, general purpose, time sharing operating system was demonstrated at MIT.

That system — the “Compatible Time-Sharing System”… or “CTTS” — was originally developed on an IBM 709. And oh, what a beautiful machine it was.

The IBM 709

The IBM 709 was an absolute beast. Capable of adding 42,000 numbers per second, and multiplying two 36-bit integers together at a (then) blinding speed: 5,000 per second.

All contained in a svelte 2,000 pounds.

And this IBM 709, running CTTS, certainly had a text interface… but it wasn’t exactly a “Shell”. At least not in any way we would recognize together. Certainly, no scripting together of commands.

Over the next two years, CTTS continued to improve and evolve. Getting ported, by 1963, to a modified IBM 7094. Which, like the 709 before it, was a gorgeous machine. With enough physical switches to make any Sci-Fi nerd happy.

The IBM 7094 - “The Blue Machine”. Photo credit: IBM

It is around this time, that Pouzin arrives at MIT, where he is (at least partially) responsible for a little program called “MAIL”.

Wait. What? Pouzin invented E-Mail?

 

Well. Not quite. This was several years before what we now call “E-Mail” was created. This original “MAIL”, on CTTS, was a system for sending mail messages to other users… on the same CTTS system. It lacked a mechanism for forwarding messages to users on other systems.

 

Just the same, this work heavily influenced what would later become “E-Mail”.

But we’re not here to talk about MAIL or the many contributions Pouzin made to computer networking (leading to what we call “The Internet”) — that’s a fascinating topic for another day. Let’s focus on a little program that Pouzin wrote… which would change computing forever.

RUNCOM

You see, in those days, there was no “command interpreter” program. No “shell”. You simply instructed the kernel to run a single program.

Nothing like “COMMAND.COM” on DOS. Or BASH, SH, or other shells on UNIX and Linux systems. Nothing at a all like that existed.

That all changed in 1963, when Pouzin came up with “RUNCOM” — short for “RUN COMmand”.

In Pouzin’s words:

“After having written dozens of commands for CTSS, I reached the stage where I felt that commands should be usable as building blocks for writing more commands, just like subroutine libraries. Hence, I wrote "RUNCOM", a sort of shell driving the execution of command scripts, with argument substitution. The tool became instantly most popular, as it became possible to go home in the evening while leaving behind long runcoms executing overnight. It was quite neat for boring and repetitive tasks such as renaming, moving, updating, compiling, etc. whole directories of files for system and application maintenance and monitoring.”

RUNCOM was, truly, the first “Shell” system.

In fact, Pouzin, was the first person to call such a program a “Shell”.

His RUNCOM program would continue to be a critical component of the CTTS system until it ceased operations in 1973.

RUNCOM section from the CTTS Programmers Guide. Courtesy: Internet Archive

But we still didn’t quite have what we would call a “Shell”. Not yet.

The “Shell” had a name, and some of the features, but it wasn’t a truly interactive experience.

Meanwhile, in England…

During 1964, a computer scientist named Christopher Strachey was working at the University of Cambridge… on, what he called, the “General Purpose Macrogenerator”. Or “GPM”, for short.

Christopher Strachey, sporting a most excellent mustache. Photo courtesy: University of Oxford

This language had a heavy influence on much of 1960s and 1970s computing — including on “m4”.

M4 is a macro language, developed by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, that was part of the original version of UNIX… and was later adopted as a part of the POSIX standard.

Strachey’s GPM design document. Published in a 1965 issue of The Computer Journal.

Back in Massachusetts…

During 1964, work on Multics (the “Multiplexed Information and Computing Service”) was getting underway at MIT (as a joint project between MIT, General Electric, and Bell Labs).

While Pouzin wasn’t going to be part of the Multics project… boy howdy… he had some ideas.

In his own words:

“Then in 64 came the Multics design time, in which I was not much involved, because I had made it clear I wanted to return to France in mid 65. However, this idea of using commands somehow like a programming language was still in the back of my mind. Christopher Strachey, a British scientist, had visited MIT about that time, and his macro-generator design appeared to me a very solid base for a command language, in particular the techniques for quoting and passing arguments. Without being invited on the subject, I wrote a paper explaining how the Multics command language could be designed with this objective. And I coined the word "shell" to name it. It must have been at the end of 64 or beginning of 65.”

Pouzin made sure his ideas were documented, by publishing a document entitled: “The SHELL: A global tool for calling and chaining procedures in the system”.

The full document is archived by MIT.
 

According to Pouzin:

“The small gang of Multics wizards found it a sleek idea, but they wanted something more refined in terms of language syntax. As time left to me was short, and I was not an expert in language design, I let the issue for them to debate, and instead I made a program flowchart of the shell. It was used after I left for writing the first Multics shell. Glenda Schroeder (MIT) and a GE man did it.”

From Tom Van Vleck, who worked on Multics for 16 years (starting in 1965):

“The first time I remember the name "shell" for the function of finding and running a command was in a Multics Design Notebook document by Louis Pouzin.

 

These memos con[t]ained the idea of having the command processing shell be an unprivileged user program that parsed a command line, located a program to run, and executed it with arguments.”

So. Who created the first “Shell”?

The concept, and first implementation of a “Shell” (RUNCOM for the CTTS), was made by Louis Pouzin.

But the first truly interactive example of a Shell — the one that was part of Multics, and which would most closely resemble the interactive shells of today — was initially designed by Pouzin… and programmed by Glenda Schroeder and a “Mystery Man from General Electric”.

The impact of RUNCOM and the Multics Shell

The impact of these early Shells cannot be understated.

Because of RUNCOM — and the designs of Pouzin — we have the Multics Shell.

Because of Multics… we have UNIX (originally named UNICS… before someone in marketing decided an “X” looked cooler) and SH.

You can trace every single computer Shell in existence — including BASH, PowerShell, and so many others — back to that first work. Back to the ideas of Louis Pouzin.

In fact, that influence expands far beyond just the design ideas of a scriptable, interactive Shell.

According to Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie:

"There was a facility that would execute a bunch of commands stored in a file; it was called RUNCOM for "run commands", and the file began to be called "a runcom". rc in Unix is a fossil from that usage."

That’s right. Have you seen “rc” on your UNIX or Posix systems — such as .cshrc or /etc/rc? Those are named that way, according the the men behind UNIX itself, because of RUNCOM and Louis Pouzin.

To put it simply, modern computing is the way it is, in large part… thanks to Pouzin. A computer scientist that should be a household name.

community logo
Join the Lunduke Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
9
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
Microsoft "Intifada" Shut Down After 4 Hours

Note: This video is being made free for all due to the nature of the news story. While all Audio Podcasts and Articles from The Lunduke Journal are always free, many videos are exclusive for subscribers. More details, and links, at Lunduke.com.

After the "Worker Intifada" declared they would occupy Microsoft Campus "as long as it takes" for Microsoft to cut ties with "the murderous Zionists", the event barely lasted past lunch.

The Article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/worker-intifada-occupies-microsoft

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:34:11
Lunduke's Week in Tech - August 15th, 2025

Linux Kernel Chaos & The Non-Woke Software List

The Article: https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lundukes-week-in-tech-aug-15-2026

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:45:49
Lunduke Journal Videos Now Subscriber Exclusives

All articles and audio podcasts remain 100% free for everyone.

The Article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lunduke-journal-videos-now-subscriber

00:09:55
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

Funny Programming Pictures Part LXIX

Barely Any Effort Edition (tm)

https://lunduke.substack.com/p/funny-programming-pictures-part-lxix

post photo preview

How many people are running Omarchy here? If not I am curious if you are interested in it?

For me Omarchy is the most polished and well made Linux distro I have ever used. I am VERY happy with it and love that it is coming from someone very based who is against all of the woke garbage going on in the open source world.

post photo preview
15 hours ago

There Will Be No Public AGI/Super intelligence

I do not believe Sam Altman, Elon Musk nor anyone else will develop an AGI/Super Intelligence that will be available to the public.  If they can get there at all with the technology - they STILL won’t provide AGI to the public.  Not going to happen.  Two reasons:  the government won’t allow it and they will keep AGI for themselves.

Let’s tackle the government angle.  Can you imagine a world where any government is going to allow the private development of nuclear weapons?  If the US wouldn’t tolerate Iran developing nuclear weapons - you think they’d let Elon start his own personal nuclear weapons company?  Not a chance.  And Super Intelligence is a nuclear weapon class development.

We don’t have to imagine.  Look into something called the “Snitch Benchmark”.  Once LLMs were given the ability to call tools for agentic use, it was discovered that EVERY ONE OF THEM attempted to contact the government when asked things ...

post photo preview
Microsoft “Worker Intifada” Escalates, 18 Arrested, More Violence Planned
After two days of increasing levels of violence, with demands that Microsoft cut all ties to Israel, the anti-Jewish “Worker Intifada” is now planning to siege a transit center.

On August 19th, a group of Microsoft employees — working with some outside organizations and individuals — declared their intention to occupy a portion of Microsoft Main Campus, demanding that Microsoft cut all ties to Israel.

That August 19th event, by the self-declared “Worker Intifada”, lasted only 4 hours before those involved voluntarily left (after being told they may be subject to arrest). Following that event, the “Intifada” declared an intention to escalate activities.

Yesterday, August 20th, the “Worker Intifada” returned to Microsoft Main Campus East - which the “Intifada” has declared a “Liberated Zone”.

 

According to multiple reports, the organizers vandalized Microsoft property, stole furniture from both Microsoft and a the independent vendors at a Famers Market (which was scheduled to take place at that time), and screamed obscenities, anti-Jewish statements, and blood libel regarding Israel and Jews at those attending the Farmers Market on the Microsoft plaza.

The “Intifada” poured red paint — to symbolize blood — and laid out fake dead bodies around Microsoft signs. With many waving a Palestinian flag.

 

After refusing to cease vandalism and trespassing, 18 of the “Intifada” members became “aggressive”, and were arrested by Redmond Police Department.

According to the Redmond PD X account:

“18 arrested for various charges during a protest at Microsoft Campus Redmond police are at the scene of a demonstration at the Microsoft campus.

On Aug 20, around 12:15 p.m., Redmond officers were dispatched to a large gathering of protestors in the Microsoft courtyard.

Officers initially attempted to trespass the protestors, but they resisted and became aggressive.

A few protesters had poured paint over the Microsoft sign and on the ground. Others had blocked a pedestrian bridge and were using stolen tables and chairs from vendors to form a barrier.

Officers took 18 into custody for multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest, and obstruction. No injuries were reported.”

The response from the “Intifada” organizers confirmed those details.

 

“The “Intifada” organizers made the following statement on X, following yesterday’s arrests:

“In response to this peaceful opposition of war crimes, Microsoft and Redmond Police retaliated against protestors with the brutal mass arrest of 18 protestors, chemical weapons, and physical violence.

Current workers, former workers, and community members were hog-tied, violently dragged, and pepper sprayed in a repressive escalation. Microsoft and Redmond Police chose to dehumanize, brutalize, and criminalize people of conscience for opposing Microsoft's ACTUAL war crimes.

As we recognize the sacrifice made by those arrested today, we also recognize that this militarism and physical violence pale in comparison to the experiences Palestinians are forced to endure.

Every day for the past 22 months, the Israeli military has used Microsoft technology to starve and bomb Palestinians in Gaza, while actively displacing Palestinians in an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Let us be clear: no violence will shut down escalation efforts against Microsoft's complicity in war crimes. The Worker Intifada is an answer to Gaza's call for action, and so The Worker Intifada will live on. THE MORE THEY TRY TO SILENCE US, THE LOUDER WE WILL BE!”

The “Worker Intifada” has another event planned for today — Thursday, August 21st, at 4pm — to “honor Palestinian martyrs killed with weapons and tools powered by Microsoft”.

 

This event appears to be planned in order to disrupt local traffic and transportation — the “Intifada” plans to gather at the “Redmond Technology Station”, a transit center and Park-and-Ride location used by Microsoft employees.

The event is timed to coincide, precisely, with the start of the evening rush hour — in an area which is known to experience significant traffic congestion.

 

The “Worker Intifada” has previously declared their intention to escalate their activities, stating “we will not rest”, “we will continue to escalate”, and that they will engage in activities which “cannot be ignored”.

Considering their usage of Hamas (a terrorist organization with the stated objective of the murder of all Jews and Israelis) language and talking points, it seems a reasonable assumption that this “Worker Intifada” is suggesting that they intend to commit increasingly violent acts.

Read full Article
post photo preview
Worker Intifada Occupies Microsoft Main Campus, Demands MS Cut All Ties With Israel
The group has declared an intention to occupy Microsoft East Campus Plaza until Microsoft cuts ties with “the murderous Zionists” and pays “reparations” for “AI Genocide”.

A group of Microsoft employees have launched what they are calling a “Worker Intifada” at Microsoft Main Campus in Redmond, Washington.

The “Intifada” group is demanding that Microsoft cut all ties with Israel, and pay reparations to the government of Gaza (Hamas)… an amount to be decided by later Hamas. Until Microsoft meets those demands, the “Intifada” is threatening to continue to occupy the Microsoft property.

 

Photo credit: https://x.com/thestustustudio/status/1957924513938620743

The “Worker Intifada” made the following statement today:

“We will not be cogs in the I​s​r​a​e​l​i​ genocidal machine: a call for a Worker I​n​t​i​f​a​d​a": in a company-wide email to workers and leadership, Microsoft worker Julius Shan shared reminders of the company's complicity and announced the establishment of a Liberated Zone at the M​a​r​t​y​red P​a​l​e​s​t​i​n​i​a​n​​ Children's Plaza. Julius also called on fellow workers to join the global Worker Intifada, by escalating against Microsoft everywhere until all demands from the Liberated Zone are met. Read the full declaration from the Liberated Zone at: http://noaa.cc/worker-intifada

This “Worker Intifada Liberated Zone” is taking place at what is known as “Microsoft East Campus Plaza” — which the “Intifada” has given the name “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza”.

 

It is worth noting that this is right in the heart of the development of Microsoft’s most famous software. Office, Windows, Windows Media, and more were all developed within a very short walk of East Campus Plaza.

There has been some police and Microsoft security presence at the “Intifada Liberated Zone” so far today. As of this reporting, no serious events to report.

 

Photo Credit: https://x.com/thestustustudio/status/1957921589628113380

The “Worker Intifada”, in their statements (both written and verbal), repeatedly make known false statements and blood libel regarding Israel — and repeatedly use phrases common among anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli terrorist groups.

What follows are images of some of the statements made by this “Microsoft Worker Intifada”. Presented, without comment.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read full Article
post photo preview
MS Office for PowerPC Windows NT Found!
You can now run Windows NT (with Office) on a Nintendo Wii & an original iMac. Seriously. That's a real thing.

There are two things that bring me an unreasonable amount of joy:

  1. The discovery of long-lost software.

  2. Running software on hardware it was never intended to run on.

This story has both. I am positively giddy.

Microsoft Office for PowerPC

It is a well known fact that Windows NT was developed (and, in some cases, released) for multiple CPU architectures beyond the common x86 — including MIPS, DEC Alpa, and PowerPC.

In addition to Windows NT, Microsoft developed and released versions of Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) for those hardware platforms. Not much good having the operating system for a particular CPU… if you don’t have some software to run on it, right?

We’ve had public archives of Microsoft Office for both MIPS and Alpha CPUs for quite some time… but the PowerPC version of Office has, for whatever reason, remained elusive.

Until this week, when Antoni Sawicki got his hands on the long-lost Office for PPC.

Image
 

Antoni was alerted to an eBay listing of a boxed copy of MS Office 6.0. A box which, intriguingly, listed all four of the released Windows NT CPU architectures.

As Antoni said, “Since it clearly said PowerPC on the box I got it… and here it is:”

Image
 

Check out that screenshot. Windows NT 4.0, running on a PPC 604 processor (with 32 MB of RAM)… running a native version of Microsoft Word 6.0.

The archive for the PowerPC version of Office is now hosted at VirtuallyFun.com. A major win for computer history preservation.

Now, buckle up, Buttercup. Because it gets weirder. And more awesome.

Windows NT For Wii & PowerMac

The archiving of historical software is, without question, important. But being able to actually run that software — on easily obtainable hardware — allows people to experience that part of computer history.

And, thanks to one developer, you can run Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 on Nintendo GameCube, Wii, & WiiU as well as PPC Macintoshes like the original iMac and iBook.

That’s right. Apple’s original, clamshell, “bondi blue” G3 iBook can run Windows NT 4.0.

An iBook G3 Clamshell with the about menu for Windows NT 4.0 open.
 

Not emulated. Native. On “bare metal”.

In theory, it should be able to run the PowerPC native version of Office 6.0 as well. Something I will need to be testing, for myself, very soon.

Now, you may be asking, “Why would I install Windows NT and Office on a Nintendo Wii”?

And, while there are many valid reasons for undertaking such an endeavor — including that whole “experiencing computer history first hand” thing we talked about — there is one purpose for running MS Word on a GameCube that eclipses all others:

Because we can.

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals