sudo
super user do
Allows a permitted user to execute a command with elevated privileges.
sudo apt update
⚠️ Use with care — this command can modify critical system files.
Dev Etymology
The origin and meaning of programming terms and commands.
bash
Bourne Again Shell
A Unix shell and command language, named as a pun on the Bourne shell.
bash --version
The Bourne Shell (sh) was created in the 1970s by Stephen Bourne at Bell Labs, as the main interface for the Unix system. It quickly became the standard for scripting due to its simplicity and portability. However, as Unix evolved, functional limitations and fragmentation between different shells appeared, some of them lacking freely available source code.
To provide a more powerful and free alternative, the GNU Project developed Bash in 1989, created by Brian Fox. The name is a play on words (“Bourne Again”), indicating that it is a modernized version of the Bourne Shell. Bash maintains compatibility with sh, but adds advanced features such as command completion, command history, and more powerful scripting, thus becoming the default shell on most Linux systems.
So, Bash is Bourne Again Shell. 🙂