User configuration files: . (dot) files and rc files

User configuration files: . (dot) files and rc files
configuration files: the first one at a "system" level, located in /etc/; and the other one, "private" to the user, that can be found in home directory.

Commonly used rc and . (dot) files

Filename Description
.bash_login Look at "man bash". Treated by bash like .bash_profileif that doesn't exist.
.bash_logout Look at "man bash".Sourced by bash login shells at exit.
.bash_profile Sourced by bash login shells after /etc/profile.
.bash_history The list of commands executed previously.
.bashrc Look at "man bash". Sourced by bash non-login interactive shells (no other files are). Non-interactive shells source nothing unless BASH_ENV or ENV are set.
.emacs Read by emacs at startup.
.forward If this contains an e-mail address, then all mail to owner of ~ will be forwarded to that e-mail address.
.fvwmrc .fvwm2rc Config files for fvwm and fvwm2 (the basic XWindow manager).
.hushlogin Look at "man login". Causes a "quiet" login (no mail notice, last login info, or MOD).
.mail.rc User init file for mail program.
.ncftp/ Directory for ncftp program; contains bookmarks, log, macros, preferences, trace. See man ncftp. The purpose of ncftp is to provide a powerful and flexible interface to the Internet standard File Transfer Protocol. It is intended to replace the stock ftp program that comes with the system.
.profile Look at "man bash". Treated by bash like ~/.bash_profile if that and .bash_login don't exist, and used by other Bourn- heritage shells too.
.pinerc Pine configuration
.muttrc Mutt configuration
.exrc Configuration of vi can be controlled by this file. Example: set ai sm ruler Writing the above line in this file makes vi set the auto-indentation, matching brackets and displaying line number and rows- columns options.
.vimrc Default "Vim" configuration file. Same as .exrc.
.gtkrc GNOME Toolkit.
.kderc KDE configuration.
.netrc Default login names and passwords for ftp.
.rhosts Used by the r-tools: rsh, rlogin, etc. Very weak security since host impersonation is easy. Must be owned by user (owner of ~/) or superuser. Lists hosts from which users may access this account. Ignored if it is a symbolic link.
.rpmrc See "man rpm". Read by rpm if /etc/rpmrc is not present.
.signature Message text that will be appended automatically to the mail sent from this account.
.twmrc Config file for twm (The Window Manager).
.xinitrc Read by X at startup (not by xinit script). Mostly starts some progs.
Example: exec /usr/sbin/startkde If the above line is present in this file, then the KDE Window Manager is started in when the startx command is issued from this account.
.xmodmaprc This file is passed to the xmodmap program, and could be named anything (.Xmodmap and .keymap.km, for example).
.xserverrc Run by xinit as the X server if it can find X to execute. ~/News/Sent-Message-IDs Default mail history file for gnus.
.Xauthority Read and written by xdm program to handle authorization. See the X, xdm, and xauth man pages.
.Xdefaults,.Xdefaults-hostname Read by X applications during startup on hostname. If the -hostname file can't be found, .Xdefaults is looked for.
.Xmodmap Points to .xmodmaprc; Red Hat had (has) .xinitrc using this name.
.Xresources Usually the name for the file passed to xrdb to load the X resources database, to avoid the need for applications to read a long .Xdefaults file. (~/.Xres has been used by some.)