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Dotfiles Explained

To customize your environment, several files are accessed by the system when you log into your account. Several of the following files were created when your account was established, and can be found in your directory. The files that start with a ``dot'' are called dotfiles. Dotfiles will not show up in a normal directory listing and may be seen using ls -a, which designates to list all files, including hidden files.

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Many of these files simply ``source" a file located in /usr/local/lib/std. These files ensure you have the correct environment setup to take full advantage of the software the CEC has installed. The CEC maintains these files and updates them as things change. You are free to edit any of the dotfiles in your home directory, however, it is still a good idea to source the file in /usr/local/lib/std in your new setup.



Darla K. Kuras
Thu Jul 23 11:09:59 EDT 1998