compile programs (
shell scripts (
it's good to put them in
This can be a subdirectory of your home directory.
Or, if several people want to use these programs, you could pick any other
directory - as long as you have write access to it.
Usually, the directory's name is something like
(with a leading dot) (
to keep it from cluttering my
For instance, to make a
under your home directory, type:
Once you have a directory for storing programs, be sure that the shell
can find the programs in it.
Type the command
and look for the directory's pathname.
For instance, if your directory is called
, you should see:
If the directory isn't in your
add it (
Finally, if other people are sharing the directory, use a command like
chmod go+rx bin
to give them access.
When you add a new program to your
directory, if you use the C
shell, you need to use the shell's
That's because the C shell doesn't search your path directly
but instead uses a hash table to find the commands more quickly.