Your Path

(…in plain words. Possibly technically incorrect).

• Your path is a list of folders that contain programs.
• This list is separated by colons - thing:thing:thing:thing
• For example: /some-programs:/some-other-programs
• When you run a program, the computer searches through this list to find the program.
• It is written in capitals: PATH
• See your path by echo $PATH
• Add newfolder to the end of your path by export PATH="$PATH:/newfolder
• Add newfolder to the start of your path by export PATH="/newfolder:$PATH
• Confusingly, the PATH variable can be stored in several places: potentially in a file called ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.profile.
• The value of the PATH can differ according to which environment you are in and which profile is being used.