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Dev tools · August 11, 2012

A fix for the .bash_profile .bashrc .profile madness

Replace .bashrc, .bash_profile, .profile, etc. with something much more clean, consistent, and meaningful. Now a repo: https://github.com/josephwecker/bashrc_dispatch - new_bashrc.sh

A fix for the .bash_profile .bashrc .profile madness launched on August 11, 2012 with 173 votes, #11 of 411 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 14 years on.

Visit gist.github.com ↗Alternativestop 3% of August 2012

In plain words

This is a shell configuration tool that consolidates the multiple bash startup files (.bashrc, .bash_profile, .profile) into a single, cleaner system. Designed for developers working with bash, it simplifies shell initialization by replacing the fragmented configuration approach with a more consistent and meaningful alternative. The tool is available as a repository on GitHub.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

I don't know for 100% certain if it's handled exactly the same way during shell start-up, but return seems the safer bet in myfrom gist.github.com

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