From: A. V. Le Blanc (zlsiial@uts.mcc.ac.uk)
Date: 05/14/92


From: zlsiial@uts.mcc.ac.uk (A. V. Le Blanc)
Subject: Re: search path problem -- help.
Date: 14 May 1992 06:17:12 GMT

In article <1992May13.140357.1140@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> rattan@crs.cl.msu.edu writes:
>version. in any given current working directory the programs can
>only be executed by typing ./test and not test (as one would expect).
>the /etc/profile has the line
> export PATH=:/bin://usr/bin:/usr/local/bin

Note first that this is the correct behaviour for root. Anything else
is dangerous.

Note second that, as there is a shell builtin named 'test', even changing
your path will not free you from needing './' in this case.

You may, if you wish, change the line in /etc/profile to

     export PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin:.

(where I would recommend having the '.' last), but be sure that root
changes this in its own .profile to exclude the '.'.

     -- Owen
     LeBlanc@mcc.ac.uk