How can I launch multiple xterm windows and run a command on each, leaving each window open afterward?

Question

I\'m lazy, and I prefer that computers do my work for me. I ssh into several machines on a daily basis, so I created a simple script that launches some xterm windows and pl

Answer 1

This answer gives one of the best answers I've seen so far to do this. Use the bash --init-file flag either in the shebang or when executing the terminal:

#!/bin/bash --init-file
commands to run

... and execute it as:

xterm -e /path/to/script
# or
gnome-terminal -e /path/to/script
# or
the-terminal -e bash --init-file /path/to/script/with/no/shebang

My only real complaint with the exec option is if the command executed prior to exec bash is long running and the user interrupts it (^C), it doesn't run the shell. With the --init-file option the shell continues running.

Another option is cmdtool from the OpenWin project:

/usr/openwin/bin/cmdtool -I 'commands; here'
# or
/usr/openwin/bin/cmdtool -I 'commands; here' /bin/bash

... where cmdtool injects the commands passed with -I to the slave process as though it was typed by the user. This has the effect of leaving the executed commands in the shell history.