Editing IBM AIX (section)

==User interfaces==
[[File:CDE 2012 on Linux.png|thumb|The [[Common Desktop Environment]], AIX's default [[graphical user interface]] ]]

The default shell was [[Bourne shell]] up to AIX version 3, and [[KornShell]] (ksh88) in version 4 for [[XPG4]] and [[POSIX]] compliance.<ref name="CannonTrent1999"/>

===Graphical===
The [[Common Desktop Environment]] (CDE) is AIX's default [[graphical user interface]]. As part of Linux Affinity and the free [[AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications]] (ATLA), open-source [[KDE]] and [[GNOME]] desktops are also available.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/aix/7.2?topic=aix-adding-open-source-applications-your-system |title=Adding Open Source Applications to Your System |publisher=IBM |accessdate=21 January 2025}}</ref>

===System Management Interface Tool===
{{Main|System Management Interface Tool}}
[[File:Screenshot of IBM AIX SMIT Initial Menu.png|thumb|The initial menu, when running in text mode]]
[[IBM AIX SMIT|SMIT]] is the System Management Interface Tool for AIX. It allows a user to navigate a menu hierarchy of commands, rather than using the command line. Invocation is typically achieved with the command <code>smit</code>. Experienced system administrators make use of the <code>F6</code> function key which generates the command line that SMIT will invoke to complete it.
SMIT also generates a log of commands that are performed in the <code>smit.script</code> file. The <code>smit.script</code> file automatically records the commands with the command flags and parameters used. The <code>smit.script</code> file can be used as an executable shell script to rerun system configuration tasks. SMIT also creates the <code>smit.log</code> file, which contains additional detailed information that can be used by programmers in extending the SMIT system.

<code>smit</code> and <code>smitty</code> refer to the same program, though <code>smitty</code> invokes the text-based version, while <code>smit</code> will invoke an X Window System based interface if possible; however, if <code>smit</code> determines that X Window System capabilities are not present, it will present the text-based version instead of failing. Determination of X Window System capabilities is typically performed by checking for the existence of the <code>DISPLAY</code> variable.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}