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Why is macOS bash so old?
The reason that Apple includes such an old version of Bash in its operating system has to do with licensing. Since version 4.0 (successor of 3.2), Bash uses the GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3), which Apple does not (want to) support.
Can you use bash on Mac?
By default, Mac uses either zsh (Z shell) or bash (Bourne-again Shell) as the shell or command-line interpreter. Your Mac’s default shell will depend on the iteration of macOS that you’re using.
How do I know bash or zsh?
Update your Terminal preferences to open the shell with the command /bin/bash , as shown in the screenshot above. Quit and restart Terminal. You should see “hello from bash”, but if you run echo $SHELL , you will see /bin/zsh .
What’s the latest version of Bash for Mac?
You can read more about this in Change the Shell in Mac OS X Terminal, but the actual command is very straightforward. Now the new bash is our default login shell. If you open Terminal or iTerm2 and run bash –version you should see the new version.
Can you run GNU Bash on Mac OS?
GNU Bash is a powerful shell. Unfortunately the Mac OS operating systems doesn’t provide the latest version which may prevent you to take advantage of the latest features that came with Bash 4 and 5. Also, running an outdated bash version probably expose you to some major vulnerabilities.
How to install Shellshock Bash on a Mac?
To do so, do the following: With Xcode open, click the Xcode menu in your top menu bar. Click Preferences. Click the Downloads tab. Click Install next to the Command Line Tools in the list of downloads. Note: If you don’t see “Command Line Tools” in the downloads tab, then that means you’ve already got them and are ready to go!
Why is Bash the default shell on my computer?
If bash is the default system shell on your computer, it can be used by remote hackers for network-based attacks. With a simple script, a hacker can launch programs or enable features on your computer without any passwords needed and without your knowledge.