SDB:The Same Programs Work Differently

Cause:

This is most likely due to the settings of the respective user. If you are logged in as user "root", the environment is different from the the one you work in as a normal user. When a new user is created, certain files from /etc/skel are saved in his/her HOME directory. These files determine the look and feel of the user's environment.

For instance, if you execute the command ls -al in the home directory of the user joe (usually /home/joe), some files beginning with "." are displayed. Many of these files are responsible for certain settings, for example:

• .Xmodmap is in charge of the keyboard layout under X.
• .Xressources or .Xdefaults control the behavior of X applications.
• .bashrc and .profile are responsible for the shell settings (bash in this case).

<keyword>env,environment,user</keyword>