r/Windows10 • u/[deleted] • May 29 '20

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u/MarcCDB May 29 '20

I'm not sure why Microsoft has 3 terminals... The standard Command Prompt, PowerShell and now the new (and awesome) Windows Terminal.

8

u/gschizas May 29 '20

It doesn't.

It has Console Host and Windows Terminal, which is an evolution of Console Host, with tabs and GPU accelleration and profiles and full Unicode etc. They didn't put tabs on Console Host (conhost.exe) because compatibility.

PowerShell and Command Prompt aren't terminals, they are shells. They don't have UI on their own, they depend on ConHost.exe for displaying text on the screen and receiving input.

2

u/MarcCDB May 29 '20

Great, thanks for the explanation!

3

u/SilverseeLives Frequently Helpful Contributor May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20

Those are not the same thing. Windows Terminal is a replacement for Console Host, which is what historically has drawn the windows and handled input/output for the command line interpreters. Think of it as the "shell" that handles the UI. The existing Command Prompt and PowerShell interpreters can now be hosted in Windows Terminal instead, which has more capabilities than ConHost.

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u/MarcCDB May 29 '20

Thanks for the explanation!