Reference on shell scripts

[Bob Alexander <bob@ngi.it>]

I admit having problems after quite many years using Unices and their 
brethrens with the sequence and scope of the various scripts such as 
/etc/profile, /etc/environment, /etc/bash and their relatives living in 
each user's home directory.

Saying this since I would like my user bob (and only him since he is the 
sysadmin) having /sbin and /usr/sbin in his path in every shell I am 
working in be it under X11 or in consoles.

Is there some sensible reference I can refer to without bugging this 
lists of saints, poets, geniuses and devils ? :)

TIA,
Bob