Just a page listing environment variables. Started by copying those from one of my Mandrake 8.2 installations. As I learn more about what they are I will try to add comments (prefaced with # -- even though I suspect that # is not a valid comment delimiter for the environment). (As I recognize items that represent a security issue, I'll try to disguise them.) I'll skip a line between each entry to make the list easier to read.

See AboutThesePages.

Contents

Notes

In addition to listing environment variables, I should cover these points (or correct them if in error):

• These are the environment variables for one particular user.
• When certain processes start (and depending on how they start), a new environment is created with "copies" of all of these environment variables.
• Depending on how a process is started, you can avoid having a new environment created and instead work under an existing environment (the environment of the "parent" process). There are advantages to this under some circumstances, but I can't recite what they are. One way to accomplish this (there may be others) is to "source" a file (SourceAFile) by preceding it with a ". " on the command line.
• There are a couple places to define environment variables, and they may be treated (or handled) slightly differently depending on where they are created. (Some examples to consider: .bashrc, .bashprofile, ... ??)

Environment Variables

BASH=/bin/sh # full path of the bash executable

BASH_VERSINFO=([0]="2" [1]="05" [2]="1" [3]="1" [4]="release" [5]="i586-mandrake-linux-gnu")

BASH_VERSION=$'2.05.1(1)-release' # version number of bash

BROWSER=$'kfmclient openProfile webbrowsing'

DIRSTACK=()

DISPLAY=:0 # "default" display for X Window (sometimes ":0.0")

EUID=501

GROUPS=()

GTK_RC_FILES=/etc/gtk/gtkrc:/home/dad/.gtkrc:/home/dad/.gtkrc-kde

HELP_BROWSER=$'kfmclient openProfile webbrowsing'

HISTCONTROL=ignoredups

HISTSIZE=1000

HOME=/home/dad # home directory (of this user)

HOSTNAME=homed.z # hostname of this machine -- a question that will arise for several items like this, in this and other files -- is this the one place to change this if necessary, one of several places to change, or a place that is changed automatically if I make the right change in the right place?? (I suspect this is one of many places that have to be changed.)

HOSTTYPE=i586

IFS=$' \t\n'

INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc

KDE_MULTIHEAD=false

KDE_STARTUP_ENV=$'homed.z;1031066794;593855;2465'

LANG=en_US

LANGUAGE=en_US:en

LC_COLLATE=en_US

LC_CTYPE=en_US

LC_MESSAGES=en_US

LC_MONETARY=en_US

LC_NUMERIC=en_US

LC_TIME=en_US

LESS=-MM

LESSKEY=/etc/.less

LESSOPEN=$'|/usr/bin/lesspipe.sh %s'

LOGNAME=dad # login name of this user

LS_COLORS=

MACHTYPE=i586-mandrake-linux-gnu

MAIL=/var/spool/mail/dad # location of the mail inbox for this user (is there anything that defines the mail directory, i.e., /home/dad/mail vs. /home/dad/Mail and so forth, or is that a function of the mail client software? (I think it's a function of the mail client software.)

NLSPATH=/usr/share/locale/%l/%N

OPTERR=1

OPTIND=1

OSTYPE=linux-gnu

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/games:/home/dad/bin # the list of directories in which the shell looks for executable programs. Note that "." (or "./" ??) is not included as that creates a security risk. (Add a link to where this is (will be) discussed, maybe DotOnPathCreatesSecurityRisk.)

POSIXLY_CORRECT=y

PPID=17187

PS4=$'+ ' # I guess this is the shell prompt -- some sources say it would be PS1 -- maybe the number is arbitrary, or ??

PWD=/home/dad

QT_XFT=0

SECURE_LEVEL=2

SESSION_MANAGER=local/homed.z:/tmp/.ICE-unix/2460

SHELL=/bin/bash # the default shell for this user

SHELLOPTS=braceexpand:hashall:interactive-comments:posix

SHLVL=3

TERM=dumb # the default terminal type for this user

UID=501

USER=dad

XAUTHORITY=/home/dad/.Xauthority

XDM_MANAGED=true

XMODIFIERS=@im=none

=/bin/sh # should this be part of the previous line? Is this what creates the $ variable that is used in Perl (and maybe bash)??

Contributors

• () RandyKramer - 12 Sep 2002
• <If you edit this page: add your name here; move this to the next line; and include your comment marker (initials), if you have created one, in parenthesis before your WikiName.>

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