Is Nushell Worth The Hype?



AI Summary

Summary of the Video Transcript

  • The video discusses the New Shell (N Shell), a modern shell written in Rust, which has gained popularity with 32,000 stars on GitHub.
  • N Shell uses structured data instead of raw text streams, allowing for powerful queries and operations on data.
  • Installation can be done through various methods, including Nix flakes.
  • N Shell has two main configuration files: n.nu and config.nu.
  • The shell provides helpful error messages and suggestions for commands.
  • Commands like ls and ps return structured tables that can be easily queried and sorted.
  • N Shell has a built-in fuzzy search for command history and can infer data types.
  • The shell supports querying JSON, CSV, TOML, XML, YAML, and SQLite databases directly.
  • The video mentions a sponsorship segment by Auth0, which is not included in the summary.
  • N Shell can be extended with plugins and scripts from the nushell/scripts repository.
  • The presenter discusses how to configure N Shell with the Starship prompt and Zoxide for directory navigation.
  • Autocompletions for tools like AWS CLI and kubectl can be achieved using Carapace, a multi-shell completion library.
  • The video explains how to set N Shell as the default shell and configure it properly.
  • There are some initial challenges when transitioning to N Shell, such as differences in handling escape characters and SDK configurations.
  • The awesome-nu repository contains additional plugins and tools for N Shell.
  • N Shell has its own package manager, nem, for installing plugins.
  • The presenter decides to keep using N Shell as the default shell due to its data handling capabilities, speed, and enhanced autocompletions.

Detailed Instructions and URLs

  • No specific CLI commands, website URLs, or detailed instructions were provided in the summary.

Tips

  • The presenter suggests checking out the awesome-nu repository for additional N Shell resources.
  • For those interested in scripting and configuration, the presenter’s dotfiles are available for reference.
  • The video recommends using the Starship prompt and Zoxide with N Shell for an improved experience.
  • Carapace is recommended for autocompletions with N Shell.
  • To set N Shell as the default, it must be added to /etc/shells and selected with the chsh command.

Additional Notes

  • The video includes a sponsorship segment that is not relevant to the topic of N Shell.
  • The presenter shares personal experiences and preferences regarding the use of N Shell.