[5995] in Release_7.7_team
NOTICE: Changes to bash dotfiles in upcoming patch release
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (ghudson@MIT.EDU)
Tue May 13 15:47:15 2008
Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 15:46:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: ghudson@MIT.EDU
Message-Id: <200805131946.m4DJkIoE024938@outgoing.mit.edu>
To: release-team@mit.edu
Reply-To: release-team@MIT.EDU
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You are receiving this because you are listed in Moira as using bash
as your shell. The next Athena patch release, due around the end of
this month, will change the way bash dotfiles are processed as part of
graphical logins. Specifically:
* tcsh dotfiles will no longer be sourced by the top-level shell.
* .bash_environment will be sourced just once by the top-level shell.
* .startup.X will be sourced with bash instead of tcsh.
* On logout, .bash_logout will be sourced with bash instead of
.logout with tcsh.
If you do not do graphical logins, none of these changes affect you.
If you have a custom .xsession script, only the .logout ->
.bash_logout change affects you (and then only if you use
session_gate).
Although these changes are a clear improvement to the proper
separation of bash and tcsh and the handling of the .bash_environment
file, they do have the potential to interfere with your dotfiles if:
* You have tcsh-specific code in your .startup.X
* You rely on environment setup in your tcsh dotfiles
* You rely on .bash_environment being executed in every terminal
Since the bash user population is relatively small, we are handling
this transition through notification rather than awkward attempts at
backward compatibility. If you have any questions or concerns, please
contact release-team@mit.edu.
Greg Hudson
MIT IS&T ISDA IPS
