Running Linux, 5th Edition - Matthias Kalle Dalheimer [84]
.zshrc
Like .bashrc, but for zsh.
.zprofile
Like .bash_profile, but for zsh.
.cshrc
For the C shell or tcsh. The file is a shell script using C shell constructs.
.login
For the C shell or tcsh. The file is a shell script using C shell constructs. Like .bash_profile in the bash shell, this runs only when you log in. Here are some commands you might find in .cshrc or .login:
set prompt='$ ' # Simple $ for prompt.
set history=50 # Save 50 commands for when the user presses the up arrow.
# All the directories to search for commands.
set path=(/usr/local/bin /usr/bin /bin /usr/bin/X11)
# To prevent the user from accidentally ending a login session,
# disable Ctrl-D as a way to exit.
set ignoreeof
stty erase "^H" # Make sure the backspace key erases.
.emacs
For the Emacs editor. Consists of LISP functions. See "Tailoring Emacs" in Chapter 19.
.exrc
For the vi editor (a visual editor that incorporates the older ex editor). Each line is an editor command. See "Extending vi" in Chapter 19.
.newsrc
For news readers. Contains a list of all newsgroups offered at the site.
.xinitrc
For the X Window System. Consists of shell commands that run whenever you log in to an X session. See "Running X" in Chapter 16 for details on using this file.
.kde/share/config
This is actually a whole directory with configuration files for the K Desktop Environment (KDE). You will find a lot of files here, all starting with the name of the program they configure and ending in rc. Note that you should normally not need to edit these files manually; the respective programs all come with their own configuration dialogs. Depending on the KDE version, this path might start with .kde2 or .kde3.
.gnome
Like the previous entry, a whole directory of configuration files , this time for the GNOME graphical desktop.
Important Directories
You already know about /home, where user files are stored. As a system administrator and programmer, several other directories will be important to you. Here are a few, along with their contents:
/bin
The most essential Unix commands, such as ls.
/usr/bin
Other commands. The distinction between /bin and /usr/bin is arbitrary; it was a convenient way to split up commands on early Unix systems that had small disks.
/sbin
Very common commands used by the superuser for system administration.
/usr/sbin
Commands used less often by the superuser for system administration.
/boot
Location where the kernel and other files used during booting are sometimes stored.
/etc
Files used by subsystems such as networking, NFS, and mail. Typically, these contain tables of network services, disks to mount, and so on. Many of the files here are used for booting the system or individual services of it and will be discussed elsewhere in this book.
/var
Administrative files, such as log files, used by various utilities.
/var/spool
Temporary storage for files being printed, sent by UUCP, and so on.
/usr/lib
Standard libraries, such as libc.a. When you link a program, the linker always searches here for the libraries specified in -l options.
/usr/lib/X11
The X Window System distribution. Contains the libraries used by X clients, as well as fonts, sample resources files, and other important parts of the X package. This directory is usually a symbolic link to /usr/X11R6/lib/X11.
/usr/include
Standard location of include files used in C programs, such as /usr/src Location of sources to programs built on the system. /usr/local Programs and datafiles that have been added locally by the system administrator. /etc/skel Sample startup files you can place in home directories