CS 1206: Assignment 2

Due Friday, February 12, 1999 by 5pm

100 Points

Customizing Your Shell

Your assignment is to customize the behavior of ksh, your login shell, to your personal taste. The assignment has 3 parts.

Part I: The Ksh Man Page And Your Configuration

Read the man page for ksh. The man page explains all of the features supported by the shell, and also documents the various shell variables that tailor the behavior of ksh.

Then examine the ``.profile'' and ``.kshrc'' files in your home directory. See which shell variables are set or altered by these files, and make sure that you understand what behavior these settings change. Also notice the aliases that are created for you in the default setup of your account.

Part II: Customization

Pick at least TEN different aspects of ksh's behavior that you can alter by setting or changing the values of shell variables. Modify your startup files so that your customizations will take effect each time you login. If you need suggestions, look at the ksh man page on-line; it includes an alphabetical list of all shell variables that affect its behavior.

In addition to setting shell variables, make at least FIVE new command aliases to use as shorthand abbreviations for commands. Pick aliases that you believe will be personally useful.

Part III: Submitting Your Answers

• A plain ASCII writeup describing each shell variable or keybinding you modified. Describe the purpose of the modification, how the behavior of the shell differs as a result, and which startup file you placed it in and why. Similarly describe each command alias you added.
• At the end of your message, include a copy of each startup file that you modified. If you include more than one file, be sure to clearly mark where each file begins and ends. Using Elm you can include other files through vi, with the Pico editor check the commands for including files.

You are to hand in your assignment by using the Automated Acceptor application. To receive credit, your assignment must be submitted before the time and date listed above. It is your responsibility to successfully submit your assignment via the Automated Acceptor. Only one submission is allowed per student. Brief instructions are given below on how to use the Acceptor, but it will be helpful to visit the Automated Acceptor's web page.

After connecting to the Internet, run the acceptor program with the command:

Acceptor_UI

A dialog box will then appear. Fill in your original PID, e-mail password, and Student ID. Click inside the Course Index field and select the lab section you are enrolled in. Type in HW2 for the Project Number. Enter the full path of the file to be submitted, or click on Browse to find it. After all the information is typed in, click on Submit. If your submission was successful, a window will appear stating "Your file has been submitted. A confirmation will be sent to you via e-mail." If your submission did not succeed, then a dialog box will appear describing the problem. Correct the information and resubmit. If the submission was successful, click the Quit button. After a few minutes (or sometimes hours!), you should receive an e-mail message verifying the file was received.

Also, remember that no late assignments are accepted.