Re: bash prompt question

Chris Elvidge wrote:
 > try export PS1='\[\e[1;35m\]\u@\h -\d- ${text} \W\[\e[00m\]\$ '
In bash (and most shells), PS1, etc do not need to be exported; as long as they're set in .bashrc, they will be set in every interactive bash session.  Moreover, exporting them will make a mess in sh:
   $ export PS1='\[\e[1;35m\]\u@\h -\d- ${text} \W\[\e[00m\]\$ '
   foh@enceladus -Mon Sep 23-  ~$ sh
   \[\e[1;35m\]\u@\h -\d-  \W\[\e[00m\]$
sh (and its clones)--which don't support an rc file--are, of course, the exception to this rule.