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Appendix C. Personal Configuration Files

IN THIS APPENDIX

Shell configuration files

Browser and e-mail configuration files

Desktop configuration files

Network services configuration files

Music player configuration files

In the home directory for every user account is a set of files and directories containing personal settings for that account. Because most configuration files and directories begin with a dot (.), you don't see them if you open a folder window to your home directory. Likewise, you typically need the -a option to ls to see those files when you list directory contents.

This appendix describes many of the dot files each user can work with on a BSD system. After creating configuration files you like, you can, when appropriate, do such things as save them to /usr/share/skel (so every new user gets them) or save them if the user account moves to another machine.

Note

Some of the files described in this appendix won't exist until you either start the application associated with the files or create the files manually.

Bash shell files: Home directory files for storing and changing bash settings include:

• .bash_profile: Commands added to this file are executed when you invoke bash as a login shell or use bash as your default shell.

• .bashrc: Commands added to this file are executed when you start a bash shell which is not a login shell, and your default shell is not bash. (To have .bashrc sourced on login when your default shell is set to bash, add the following line to your .bash_profile: ...