dash

Dash is a term used in several unrelated domains. The most common references are to a punctuation mark, a cryptocurrency, and a Unix shell named dash. Each usage has its own history and context, and the term does not imply a single overarching concept.

Dash (punctuation) refers to a family of horizontal marks, including the en dash (–) and em dash (—). A dash is generally longer than a hyphen and is used to indicate ranges, pauses, or abrupt breaks in thought. The en dash is typically used for ranges such as dates or numbers, while the em dash can replace parentheses or set off a phrase. Hyphens (-) remain a separate punctuation mark used to join words.

Dash is a digital currency launched in 2014, originally under the name XCoin, later Darkcoin, and then Dash. It aims to enable fast, low-fee transactions and offers features such as InstantSend, which verifies transactions quickly, and PrivateSend, which enhances privacy. The Dash network uses a two-tier architecture with miners and master nodes; the master nodes fund proposals and govern development and treasury through an on-chain voting system. Dash operates on its own blockchain and is traded on various exchanges.

Dash, the Debian Almquist Shell, is a lightweight POSIX-compliant Unix shell used as /bin/sh in many Debian-based systems. It is designed for speed and low memory usage, suitable for scripting and system boot environments. Dash is smaller and faster than Bash, but it lacks many interactive features and some Bash-specific extensions.