Z shell vs Bash: Which Shell Reigns Supreme?

TL;DR: Why Zsh Might Be Your Next Shell

The Z shell (Zsh) offers several compelling advantages over the traditional Bourne-again shell (Bash):

• Smart autocompletion for commands, options, and arguments
• Shared command history across all running shells
• Advanced file globbing without needing external programs like find
• Floating-point arithmetic support (Bash only handles integers)
• Spelling correction for mistyped commands
• Themeable prompts with right-side information that auto-hides
• Named directories for custom shortcuts like ~mydir

💡 Pro tip: For scripting that needs to be portable, stick with POSIX-compliant syntax. Zsh supports all Bash functionality, so your Bash scripts will work without modification.

A Tale of Two Shells

Some years ago, I switched from Bash to Zsh. At first, I felt lost - just as anyone would when leaving behind years of customized configurations, aliases, and functions. In my search for a quick setup, I discovered Oh My Zsh, an open source framework that made the transition painless with its pre-built themes and plugins.

Feature Comparison

Zsh in Action

Smart Completions and Corrections

The following animation demonstrates Zsh’s intelligent completion and auto-correction capabilities:

Powerful Globbing

Find all Sass files recursively with a simple pattern:

$ echo **/*\.sass
_sass/base/general.sass _sass/base/helpers.sass _sass/base/syntax.sass _sass/base/variables.sass _sass/components/author.sass _sass/components/disqus.sass _sass/components/footer.sass _sass/components/header.sass _sass/components/nav.sass _sass/components/others.sass _sass/components/pagination.sass _sass/components/related.sass _sass/components/share.sass _sass/components/side-by-side.sass _sass/components/social-links.sass _sass/components/spoiler.sass _sass/pages/home-blog-projects.sass _sass/pages/page.sass _sass/pages/post.sass _sass/pages/tags.sass

Suffix Aliases

Open files directly with associated applications:

$ alias -s markdown=vim
$ ./_posts/2018-06-14-vim-safe.markdown
# Opens the markdown file directly in vim

Advanced File Filtering

Find files modified more than 100 days ago:

$ ls -tld *(m+100)
-rw-rw-r-- 1 antenore antenore   117 Jun 16  2018 _config-dev.yml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 antenore antenore   212 Jun 16  2018 Rakefile
# ... more files

Floating-Point Arithmetic

Unlike Bash, Zsh handles floating-point calculations natively:

$ echo $((0.5 / 0.2))
2.5

Getting Started with Zsh

The easiest way to dive into Zsh is with Oh My Zsh. It provides a rich collection of plugins, themes, and functions with minimal setup effort:

1. Install Zsh (if not already installed)
2. Install Oh My Zsh with their one-line installer
3. Explore the included themes and plugins

🔍 Tip: After setting up Oh My Zsh, take some time to read man zshall to discover Zsh’s full potential.

Essential Resources

Documentation

• ZSH-LOVERS Guide - Comprehensive tips and tricks
• Official Zsh Website - Primary documentation
• ZSH-FAQ - Answers to common questions

Learning

• From Bash to Z Shell: Conquering the Command Line - Definitive book
• Zsh Reference Card - Quick reference guide
• Curtains Up: Introducing the Z Shell - IBM’s introduction

Community

• ZSH-Wiki - Community-maintained wiki
• IRC: #zsh at irc.freenode.org - Get help in real-time

Your Turn

Have you made the switch to Zsh? Share your favorite features or custom configurations in the comments below!

Some content adapted from Wikipedia.

Antenore Gatta

A proud and busy Hacker, Father and Kyndrol

Post comment