[bk]

just a quick question. i haven't come across this in any of my reading so far.

what do you need to do in order to make an executable file able to be run from anywhere? is it as simple as making a symbolic link to the file in /usr/bin ? also, why do some executables require you to do a ./command and some do not?

thanks.

[bsdjunkie]

what do you need to do in order to make an executable file able to be run from anywhere?

The executable must be in your path to run from anywhere. You can add/change stuff in your path with your shell configuration files like .cshrc or whatever shell you are using.

why do some executables require you to do a ./command and some do not?
This is almost always needed while being root, since having the current dir in your path is a security risk.