Dotfiles

Linux-related notes Linux user notes Shell, admin, and both: Shell - command line and bash notes · shell login - profiles and scripts ·· find and xargs and parallel · screen and tmux ·· Shell and process nitty gritty ·· Isolating shell environments ·· Shell flow control notes Linux admin - disk and filesystem · Linux networking · Init systems and service management (upstart notes, systemd notes) · users and permissions · Debugging · security enhanced linux · PAM notes · health and statistics · Machine Check Events · kernel modules · YP notes · Automounters and permissions · loop devices · unsorted and muck Logging and graphing - Logging · RRDtool and munin notes Network admin - Firewalling and other packet stuff · Somewhat sorted - dotfiles · Remote desktops - XDMCP notes

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Dotfiles refer to the *nix practice of naming certain filenames with a dot at the start.

To the filesystem they are not special in any way.

To the shell and file browser, they are: these will consider dotfiles hidden, at least by default.

This seems traditionally done to keep everyday use of your home directory free of clutter that you only care to see occasionally, and can then look at quite specifically, such as configuration files, and things like caches.

...ls -a shows dotfiles among the rest

In unices, whether dotfiles are considered in autocompletion depends on shopt settings