Setting Home Directory to `/home`

Question

I have a single user system and I want to set my home directory not to /home/username, but to /home. How can I do it so nothing would blow up?

It would be fine, if the solution would avoid something like linking /home/username to /home.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

See the usermod command:

-d, --home HOME_DIR
The user's new login directory. If the -m option is given, the contents of the current home directory will be moved to the new home directory, which is created if it does not already exist.

Otheriwse, I agree with Kamil's comment, you are probably shooting yourself in the foot, and if you want to avoid a directory level, /username would probably be a better idea since that leaves /home available.

Answer 2

1. Warning: one problem with setting /home as a main_user1's HOME is that such user may trample over the content of /home/other_user2/ and /home/other_user3/

2. Adding to the answer form @xenoid, it is likely necessary to identify and update the ~/.bashrc and other scripts that may set the value of $HOME environment variable.

3. The reason for your desire to set a non-conventional directory would be useful for a possibly better alternative.

I would likely create a link /myhome -> /home/my_userid

And invoke some programs like this:

HOME=/myhome XYZ_program

Which exports the desired variable and value only to the program being spawn.