win32 dia and HOME=/usr/bin/%USERPROFILE% fix

win32 dia and HOME=/usr/bin/%USERPROFILE% fix

[Brian Koehmstedt]

I had the problem of bash starting up with the home directory being
/usr/bin/%USERPROFILE%.

I searched the mailing list and came up with a January thread on the issue,
which informed me that the problem was due to the win32 dia installer
creating a Windows environment HOME variable that superceded bash's normal
HOME.

(the start of the Jan thread is at
http://sources.redhat.com/ml/cygwin/2003-01/msg01503.html)

In that thread I saw some suggestions on editing /etc/profile to fix it, but
I found this to be an easier all-around solution:

Edit the cygwin.bat file and put "set HOME=" somewhere in it.  This unsets
the Windows HOME environment variable and Cygwin/bash starts up with the
correct HOME environment variable.

I use startxwin.sh to start up X, but if you use startxwin.bat then you
probably have to edit that file too since it's another Windows batch file
that starts up bash shells.

-- 
Brian Koehmstedt
bpk@hungry.com

--
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/

Re: win32 dia and HOME=/usr/bin/%USERPROFILE% fix

[Soren A.]

Brian Koehmstedt <bpk@hungry.com> wrote in
news:20030616125948.A19258@hungry.com: 

> 
> I had the problem of bash starting up with the home directory being
> /usr/bin/%USERPROFILE%.
> 
> I searched the mailing list and came up with a January thread on the
> issue, which informed me that the problem was due to the win32 dia
> installer creating a Windows environment HOME variable that superceded
> bash's normal HOME.

OK, glad you found a solution. I have no idea what "dia" is (sometimes I 
wonder a bit if people posting to Cygwin have any idea how much software is 
available for _any_ OS (e.g., GNU/Linux), let alone MS Windos, and how 
unlikely it is that their interests and pursuits coincide with those of 
other regular readers...), but if it sets a HOME variable in the Windows 
environment, then that would indeed be where Cygwin starts the user, 
instead of under Cygwin's (POSIX-style hierarchy) "/home{USER}" dir.

Come to think of it, I do know what dia is, it is an Open Source drawing 
and diagramming tool.

But I have to point out for posteriors ... oops, I mean for *posterity*, 
that this isn't a BUG in Cygwin, this is a FEATURE. I personally *want* 
Cygwin to honor my setting of $HOME (%HOME%) because I keep my user dir 
files outside the Cygwin fs hierarchy (makes my life easier if I decide a 
total wipe-and-reinstall of my Cygwin installation is necessary). Also, I 
may want some other, non-Cygwin software to be able to use a HOME dir that 
Cygwin knows about too.

> Edit the cygwin.bat file and put "set HOME=" somewhere in it.  This
> unsets the Windows HOME environment variable and Cygwin/bash starts up
> with the correct HOME environment variable.

To wrap up, I have to challenge this erronious understanding. Bash's 
"correct" HOME directory is what you TELL it is HOME unless you don't 
really mean it. Unlike some <cough Microsoft cough> software systems, 
Cygwin's BASH (or any BASH) doesn't assume it knows better than the user.

Soren A.


--
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/

RE: win32 dia and HOME=/usr/bin/%USERPROFILE% fix

[John Morrison]

> From: Soren A.
>
> this isn't a BUG in Cygwin, this is a FEATURE. I personally *want*
> Cygwin to honor my setting of $HOME (%HOME%) because I keep my user dir
> files outside the Cygwin fs hierarchy (makes my life easier if I decide a
> total wipe-and-reinstall of my Cygwin installation is necessary). Also, I
> may want some other, non-Cygwin software to be able to use a HOME
> dir that Cygwin knows about too.

Agreed, although I still keep my home directory as /home/john and mount
it outside of my Cygwin installation.  Keeps everyone happy :)

J.


--
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/