I've managed to delete everything in my PATH. Don't ask how. I want to know what it would default to in a new installation of Redhat 9. I use the bash shell.

Also, I'm fairly new to linux, so please, don't assume I know what I'm doing.

Thanks in advance.

Since your on the subject of PATH, I have a question.. and if someone can answer for me as well. It'd be appreciated.

I just upgraded my KDE from 3.1.0 to 3.1.5 running on Mandrake, and it tells me to add some stuff into my PATH.

Well.. just what is PATH, where would one typically find this "file", if it is a file? I've seen this talked about on different Linux Websites.. but I still don't get it..

Thanks.
Kenny

You can relate the linux path to the windows path, in that they are both directories the computer will search when a command is issued in the shell. More so in Linux than Windows though.

As for adding stuff to the path, there is the PATH=[blah] command for bash. I wouldn't recommend using it though, it is what got me into this mess.

I wish I had a choice. But seeing as how I just spent the last 5 or so hours upgrading my KDE Desktop... I need to point the PATH to where my new KDE install is located.

I've seen the '.bash_profile' , '.bashrc' talk about stuff with PATH... but if I change that, will it only affect the one user I change the file for?
Or maybe if I change the one in /root will that become global changed?

Also.. while searching these very forums, I found some other threads asking similar questions... and they mentioned an '/etc/profile' ..
What would I do with that one?

/etc/profile is used by bash to set up things, first it lets you set things like the path and any other varible you want, next it is like THE PATH, as it can be used to set alaises, wich are just comands bash responds to one mioght be

alias ls=ls --auto-color

when i then type ls it doesent run /bin/ls it runs the comand ls --auto-colors wich is just the ls comand but tells it to display directoys, files , execuatables, symlink all in difrent colors

You shouldn't have any trouble with it if you ADD to your path rather than replace it:
PATH=${PATH}:/additional/path:/yet/another/path

Keeping the current ${PATH} in there along with the additions keeps you from overwriting the current path.