profile(4)profile(4)NAMEprofile - setting up an environment at login time
SYNOPSIS
/etc/profile
$HOME/.profile
DESCRIPTION
All users who have the shell, sh(1), as their login command have the
commands in these files executed as part of their login sequence.
/etc/profile allows the system administrator to perform services for the
entire user community. Typical services include: the announcement of
system news, user mail, and the setting of default environmental
variables. It is not unusual for /etc/profile to execute special actions
for the root login or the su(1M) command.
The file $HOME/.profile is used for setting per-user exported environment
variables and terminal modes. The following example is typical (except
for the comments):
# Set the file creation mask to prohibit
# others from reading my files.
umask 027
# Add my own /bin directory to the shell search sequence.
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
# Set terminal type
eval `tset -S -Q`
# Set the interrupt character to control-c.
stty intr ^c
# List directories in columns if standard out is a terminal.
ls() { if [ -t ]; then /bin/ls -C $*; else /bin/ls $*; fi }
FILES
/etc/TIMEZONE timezone environment
$HOME/.profile user-specific environment
/etc/profile system-wide environment
SEE ALSOenv(1), login(1), mail(1), sh(1), stty(1), su(1M), tput(1), tset(1),
terminfo(4), timezone(4), environ(5), term(5).
NOTES
Care must be taken in providing system-wide services in /etc/profile.
Personal .profile files are better for serving all but the most global
needs.
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