dot file

operating system, convention A Unix application program

configuration file. On Unix, files named with a leading dot

are not normally shown in directory listings. Many programs

define one or more dot files in which startup or configuration

information may be optionally recorded; a user can customise

the program's behaviour by creating the appropriate file in

the current or home directory.

Dot files tend to proliferate - with every nontrivial

application program defining at least one, a user's home

directory can be filled with scores of dot files, without the

user really being aware of it. Common examples are .profile,

.cshrc, .login, .emacs, .mailrc, .forward, .newsrc, .plan,

.rhosts, .sig, .xsession.

See also profile, rc file.

[Jargon File]

(1994-12-07)