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The Korn Shell, often abbreviated as ksh, is a command shell and scripting language developed for Unix by David Korn at Bell Labs, introduced in 1983. It functions as an interactive command interpreter, allowing users to execute commands directly from a terminal, and as a command programming language for writing shell scripts.

Key characteristics and features of the Korn Shell:

Command Interpreter: It provides an interface to the operating system, enabling users to interact with the system by typing commands.

Scripting Language: It includes its own powerful scripting language, allowing for the creation of complex automated tasks and programs.

Feature Integration: It combined many advantageous features from the widely used Bourne Shell (sh) and C Shell (csh), such as command-line editing, command history, and robust scripting capabilities.

Bourne Shell Compatibility: ksh is highly compatible with the Bourne Shell, meaning most scripts written for the Bourne Shell can run in the Korn Shell without modification.

POSIX Standard Conformance: ksh is designed to conform to the Portable Operating System Interface for Computer Environments (POSIX) Shell Language Standard, ensuring a degree of standardization across different Unix-like systems.

Advanced Features: It introduced advanced features like floating-point arithmetic, coprocess facilities for background program communication, and expanded function capabilities.