Hello all. Solaris user here trying to learn some Linux. CentOS in this case.

I have created a .profile file in my home directory to do things such as set: the path, a prompt, backspace as delete, etc.

When I login, the .profile file does not run. However when I execute it manually using . ./.profile it works just fine.

I checked the User Manager (?) and could not find where you set the file to use for local settings. If you wanted to use one at all that is.

I am using CentOS 5.3 and the Korn shell.

So my question: how does a person run a local profile file from their home directory during login? Or is there some other way of doing this using CentOS?

Thanks!
~Robert

refer to this link
http://docsrv.sco.com/SHL_custom/The...and_kshrc.html

I know this may be a silly question, but why bother with
Korn if you want to actually use Linux? Just use bash,
the default for the OS, and the weapon of choice for the
init scripts it uses.



Cheers,
Tink


P.S.: At least you weren't asking about csh ;}

I guess I do not know enough about Linux to understand why Korn is not Linux.

When Linux was first written, ksh (ksh88 ?) was still a closed src program, so they went with bash; highly ksh compatible (work-alike), but open src & free.
You could get pdksh (public domain ksh rewrite) but it wasn't that popular for obvious reasons.
Later on, ksh (ksh93 iirc) became open, but by that pt the default was bash.

Your choice as to which you use, but getting used to bash is prob a good idea. As I say, the 2 are very close in functionality. The main problem in porting scripts is external cmds/progs like find, which the GNU team have extended with extra options and in some cases altered. See the -maxdepth/-prune options between old school find and the gnu version.

HTH

Bash docs:
http://tldp.org/LDP/Bash-Beginners-G...tml/index.html
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/


PS: I've happily used both (worked on Linux/Solaris/HP-UX), but usually go with whatever my prod systems happen to be using; less confusing.

Thanks guys for your replies. At work at the moment so don't have too much free time to digest all the replies. But I did want to write a quick thank you for the thoughtful answers!

~Robert

Thanks again for the replies.

My problem is not writing a .profile or understanding the commands in a .profile, it is getting the thing to run at login.

My .profile file works, it just doesn't run at login.

So with CentOS 5.3 does anyone know how to get a .profile file to run at login? The file is located in the home directory.

Thanks!

What does the line in /etc/passwd for your user ID look like?

Which package is your ksh from?


Cheers,
Tink

Tink:

It will be a couple of hours until I get home and can answer your question regarding /etc/passwd

My OS is CentOS 5.3. Not sure if that answers your question about which package ksh is from.

~Robert

If you are using Centos, just the std install, the ksh should be the one from the repos and should work. It's possible that your login entry in /etc/passwd still says bash, not ksh.
Just FYI, as with ksh = .profile & .kshrc, the equiv files for bash are .bash_profile & .bashrc, although bash would (should ?) run .profile if no .bash_profile exists, iirc.

Is a colon

:

required at the top of the .profile script even though I am using a ksh? I am almost positive my .profile does not start with that.

':' is the null statement, can't imagine you need that for anything.
What did your entry in /etc/passwd say?
What does

echo $SHELL

say?

cat /etc/shells

I am still at work. Will post those results as soon as I get home, kiss the wife and kid and can get on the box