Hi,

I have been looking at the source code of the IronPython project and the Orchard CMS project. IronPython operates with a namespace called Microsoft.Scripting.Hosting.Shell (part of the DLR). The Orchard Project also operates with the concept of a 'shell' indirectly in various interfaces (IShellContainerFactory, IShellSettings).

None of the projects mentioned above have elaborate documentation, so picking up the meaning of a type (class etc.) from its name is pretty valuable if you are trying to figure out the overall application structure/architecture by reading the source code.

Now I am wondering: what do the authors of this source code have in mind when they refer to a 'shell'? When I hear the word 'shell', I think of something like a command line interpreter. This makes sense for IronPython, since it has an interactive interpreter. But to me, it doesn't make much sense with respect to a Web CMS.

What should I think of, when I encounter something called a 'shell'? What is, in general terms, the role and responsibility of a 'shell'? Can that question even be answered? Is the meaning of 'shell' subjective (making the term useless)?

Thanks.