.bash_profile vs. .bashrc

[StupidUser]

What's the difference between .bash_profile and .bashrc?

I have been reading about Linux and some software I've been using, etc. Some of them advise making a certain change in .bashrc, others suggest making a change in .bash_profile. I also like to modify my environment a little to make it easier for me to use and to make it consistent across different machines.

The result is that I have several changes scattered through both of those files. Can I consolidate them into one or of them?

I just noticed that all of my changes in _profile are either of the cursor or are "alias" commands. The changes in rc are export commands. (I bet that's a clue if I was more knowledgeable, huh?)

The bottom line is I want to know what's the difference between .bash_profile and .bashrc, and can I consolidate my personalizations in one of them?

Thanks.

[Roxoff]

At its most fundamental, the difference is that .bash_profile is executed when you log in at the terminal prompt, and .bashrc when you start an X session. For some *nix derivatives this isn't always true (see MacOS X, for instance), but it's the norm in Linux.

[StupidUser]

At its most fundamental, the difference is that .bash_profile is executed when you log in at the terminal prompt, and .bashrc when you start an X session. For some *nix derivatives this isn't always true (see MacOS X, for instance), but it's the norm in Linux.

When I log in at a terminal session, (that is, I'm using a program called putty.exe to sign into the Linux machine), is that considered an X session? Because the export definitions are all available to me in the terminal window.