Re: --rcfile and non existing files

[Robert Elz]

    Date:        Tue, 25 Jun 2024 10:25:48 -0400
    From:        Chet Ramey <chet.ramey@case.edu>
    Message-ID:  <983be032-0b60-4313-a18a-5fd74d5b5ed1@case.edu>

  | On 6/24/24 4:36 PM, Gioele Barabucci wrote:
  | > the manpage states:
  | >> The --rcfile file option will force bash to
  | >> read and execute commands from file instead of /etc/bash.bashrc and
  | >> ~/.bashrc.

  | I don't think the wording suggests that. This report reads something into
  | the use of the word "force" that is not there.

That may be correct, but I suspect that the thing could be worded
better, and avoid people reading it differently than intended.

The man page version I have doesn't mention /etc/bash.bashrc (as there
is no such file on the system I use, nor would there ever be), but

       The --rcfile file option will force bash to read and execute
       commands from file instead of ~/.bashrc.

(syntax highlighting lost here by my cut&paste)  might be better
written more like

        The --rcfile file option will cause file to replace ~/.bashrc
        as the source for commands.

Further, this probably better represents what happens if both --norc and
--rcfile file are given on the same command line (as --norc wins in this
case - the text as it is suggests that possibly the file from --rcfile
file would be read even if --norc is also given).

I assume this is obvious, but this is from the INVOCATION section, the
description of --rcfile in the list of options earlier is fine.  The wording
in the section where --rcfile is applied to rshd/sshd connections could
do with a similar change.

kre