Re: bash: which: command not found? + (E: Unable to locate package which? ...)

[Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org>]

On Fri, Jul 08, 2022 at 05:02:47AM -0500, Albretch Mueller wrote:
>  Actually, I just noticed I couldn't run "cat" as regular user but I
> could as root

My first guess: you broke your PATH variable, and however you're becoming
root (there are many ways, so it would be nice if you told us which one
you're using) is restoring a sensible PATH for you.

> how could that form a "multiversing" be -technically-
> happening (other than having forces actively messing with your work)?

You're delusional.

If you need any additional help (beyond what has already been provided)
in fixing your "couldn't run cat" problem, please follow these basic
guidelines when asking for help:

1) Show us the problem.  "I couldn't run cat" is about a 2 out of 10 on
   the usefulness scale.

   A much better start would be to *paste* the relevant lines (whole lines)
   from your terminal session into the email.  What you paste should show
   us your shell prompt, the shell command that you typed, and all of the
   output you received.  For example:

   unicorn:~$ catt /etc/group
   bash: catt: command not found

2) Give us basic background about your system.  What version of Debian are
   you running?  What, if anything, have you changed which might have an
   effect on the problem you're experiencing?

   Since you're having a problem running a standard shell command, things
   that might fall into this category would include:

   * I changed my account's shell from ___ to ___.
   * I edited my ~/.bashrc (or ~/.zshrc or whatever) dot file.
   * I tried to upgrade from buster to bookworm, and I got errors, but I
     ignored them until now.

3) Tell us what, if anything, you've already tried.  Give us all the
   additional details you have.

   * The problem happens in all terminals I've tried -- xterm, rxvt-unicode,
     gnome-terminal and konsole.
   * If I type 'zsh' the problem goes away.  But I really want it to work
     in bash too.
   * I did a 'locate cat' and I can see that it's in /usr/bin, or at least
     locate thinks it is.  Here is the output of 'ls -l /usr/bin/cat'.