Compiling programs makes sense for several good reasons. For example, you gain speed when running them. Additionally, compilers ideally generate small, portable programs that largely run independently of the computer on which they're created. Furthermore, this method protects the inherent algorithms from unintended changes.

The first two reasons – the gain in speed and portability – are not a focus of the Shell Script Compiler SHC [1]. The programs translated by SHC still require Bash as interpreter, so no great speed is gained. However, this point should not play a major role, because shell scripts aren't used for time-critical applications anyway.

Nevertheless, translating the source into binary code protects it from the ambitions of those users who want to make something good even better – while completely wrecking it. Currently, SHC is the most popular free tool for translating (Bash) shell scripts into fully functioning programs.

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