Welcome! This repo is a small side project where I explore and apply the timeless principles of the Unix philosophy — one script at a time.
Each directory in this repo contains a minimal shell script that focuses on a single Unix principle. The goal isn't to build something huge, but rather to understand why Unix tools are so effective — and how that mindset leads to better code.
We use tools like grep, cat, ls, or find every day, but rarely think about why they work so well together. It's not just about functionality it's about a design philosophy that's been around for decades.
This project is my attempt to:
- Practice writing small, composable scripts.
- Revisit core Unix principles by applying them.
- Build a reference for myself (and maybe others too) to stay grounded in simplicity.
"Unix is simple. It just takes a genius to understand its simplicity."
— Dennis Ritchie
| Conceptual Principle | Directory | Practical Focus & Implementation Details |
|---|---|---|
| Functional Cohesion | 01_do-one-thing-well/ | A self-contained log cleaner that adheres to single-responsibility design |
| File Abstraction as System Interface | 02_everything-is-a-file/ | Uses /proc and file descriptors to access runtime system data |
| Minimalism in Tooling | 03_small-is-beautiful/ | A compact parser demonstrating low-complexity, high-utility scripting |
| Composability Through Pipes | 04_build-on-tools/ | Demonstrates modular tool chaining via standard I/O redirection |
| Fail-Safe Defaults & Output Discipline | 05_silence-is-golden/ | Emphasizes non-verbosity and error-driven output as a UX principle |
More coming soon.
You just need a Bash shell (v4+ ideally) and a Unix-like environment (Linux, macOS, WSL, etc.).
To try one out:
cd 01_do-one-thing-well/
chmod +x log_cleaner.sh
./log_cleaner.sh /path/to/logs