Hi David, On 8/7/07, David Brodbeck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> What's the reason I shouldn't touch /etc/profile but use > ~/.bash_profile instead? > > They do the same thing, but for different scopes. /etc/profile affects > every account on the system. ~/.bash_profile only affects your own. > > On a single-user machine the distinction is meaningless, but on a > multi-user system it's important. Software installed publicly for everyone > goes in the PATH set in /etc/profile, software installed in an individual > person's home directory goes in the PATH set in ~/.bash_profile. It's good > to get in the habit of thinking about these distinctions, because some day > you might be administering a machine that's used by other people. > > Generally unless you have a specific reason to put something there, you > want to leave /etc/profile alone. > Thanks for this clear explanation. I'll follow your advice. Manon.
