What Does This Mean?

[monte48lowes]

Re: What Does This Mean?

Additionally you can find the location of the executable by using 'which'

which aireplay

This will give the absolute path for that executable.

Mike

[georgiatech]

Re: What Does This Mean?

Thanks for the great explanation, guys. It's starting to make sense. I started with CP/M, but linux is completely new to me. So if linux follows the path, but doesn't check the current folder that I'm in, that would explain why Airodump cannot be found unless I type ./airodump.

It seems that in linux, some executable files don't have an exe for an extension. Is that correct? I see some files which are described as executable in a window to the right, but they don't have exe for extensions.

[Snowhog]

Re: What Does This Mean?

In Linux, 'executable' is an attribute. .exe files are a Windoze convention (as was .com) and denote compiled files. In Linux, an executable file can be a text file containing instructions to be 'executed'. That is of course, a very simple explanation.

[kubicle]

Re: What Does This Mean?

You can also add '.' to $PATH. If you put it last, linux will run the command from the current working directory if it's not found elsewhere along the path. However, most people want to run executables from current working directory only explicitly (with ./) to prevent accidentally running a script or program from current working directory (this can be problematic especially if '.' is in $PATH prior to system 'bin' directories).

Anyway, the *nix mindset rules that executables should be put along your $PATH, not extend $PATH to reach your executables (single run executables like configure or install scripts should of course still be run from "current working directory"). Good places for manually installed executables are, for example /usr/local/bin and ~/bin (if ~/bin exists, ~/.bash_profile will add it to your $PATH on login)

[trident_2008]

Re: What Does This Mean?

However, most people want to run executables from current working directory only explicitly (with ./) to prevent accidentally running a script or program from current working directory (this can be problematic especially if '.' is in $PATH prior to system 'bin' directories).

And this could be "not quite accidental" too, in terminal server context...