Trouble grasping the distinctions: terminal, console, command prompt, command-line, shell

[orcmid]

I am having difficult with this sentence

Windows Terminal is a modern terminal application for users of command-line tools and shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

I don't understand how WSL is an example. I would have thought bash.

I would like to know a careful way to speak of cmd.exe. Is Command Prompt recommended?

Of the two linked presentations, I found Rich Turner's explanation most helpful. There are so many products and utilities mentioned by Hanselman that it all seems murky. I can't determine how to appraise and contrast conhost.exe and conPty, for example.

I would propose alternative statements. I don't feel qualified.

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Document Details

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• ID: ea274559-cd10-3e1b-6eb0-fd0133813fa0
• Version Independent ID: d39d52d4-aec8-e187-06da-344635877a47
• Content: An overview on Windows Terminal
• Content Source: TerminalDocs/index.md
• Product: dev-environment
• Technology: windows-terminal
• GitHub Login: @cinnamon-msft
• Microsoft Alias: cinnamon

[zadjii-msft]

I suppose we should polish https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/main/doc/Niksa.md#shell-vs-terminal more.

And then Rich had this great series of posts:

• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-command-line-backgrounder/
• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-command-line-the-evolution-of-the-windows-command-line/
• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-command-line-inside-the-windows-console/
• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-command-line-introducing-the-windows-pseudo-console-conpty/

Also just from googling:

• https://mobile.twitter.com/WindowsDocs/status/1128690473936269315
• https://www.hanselman.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-console-a-terminal-and-a-shell
• https://old.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/gyc3ur/whats_the_difference_between_windows_powershell/

[orcmid]

I ended up surrendering to the title of cmd.exe being Command Prompt since that is used almost everywhere, including its title bar when fired up. I have begun to speak of the command-line environment though. There are old documents that spoke of it as a shell, but that seems to have been deprecated.

This is going to get weird in Windows 11 where the context-option to launch is with Terminal, and PS is the default except for those of us nerdy enough to change it. There are ways to demonstrate the layering. E.g., how does "more" determine where to pause (except when terminal does soft line breaks :). I am fumbling along here. I haven't used "shell", "terminal", or "console" yet.

Thanks Mike, I will look over Rich's devblog series.

[orcmid]

@zadjii-msft I just finished reading Steven Sinofsky's "Don't Ship the Org Chart" draft chapter for his book. It made me smile when I recalled how the teams are wrapped around for Terminal, etc.

Rich Turner's 2018 blog explanations are terrific, as are all of the inside Baseball and technology snippets. Thanks for those. I will use them.

I want something a little sharper for newbies that doesn't require them to understand too much that is invisible. I think the distinctions can be made well enough without contradicting the more-technical looks at architectural separations that come when a deep-dive is useful.

An updated Miksa.md might be worthwhile in smoothing the on-ramp to the wonders of Terminal.

[mattwojo]

@zadjii-msft / @miniksa -- Should this "Shell vs terminal" section of the Niksa.md doc be added to the public Terminal docs somewhere?
https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/354e896500819937152c2dc4caca3639de903004/doc/Niksa.md#shell-vs-terminal

[mattwojo]

Maybe on the Troubleshooting page as a topic to point to for anyone else struggling with differentiation of these terms?

[DHowett]

I think that's a great idea!

[miniksa]

Yeah that sounds awesome. I'll try to get there at some point.

[orcmid]

I have started documenting around "Command Prompt" and the VS Developer Command Prompts. I then speak of the command-line ENVIRONMENT and specifically the need to run Code from inside a Developer Command Prompt for exactly that result, having the environment established and having the Code provision of C/C++ Intellisense to work.

I am also documenting how to find the shortcut that establishes a Developer Command prompt, put it on the desktop and customize it and copies of it for opening in different more-useful locations. And also start VS Code inside that setup.

I worry that even this is too much for novices. I need to work very hard at progressive disclosure so beginners start getting results quickly. I am determined not to surrender to the MingW and g++ approach that Udemy instructors emphasize. Or the LaTeX and emacs that academics subject CS101-ers to.

PS: I do not mention console and terminal at all at the introductory level (except Windows 11 where Terminal is the thing).

[mattwojo]

Added an FAQ to the Terminal docs about this. :)