It is ATN's intention, over the course of the Summer and Fall of 1999, to switch each user from the old scheme to the new scheme. These new scripts are actually symbolic links to files which ATN maintains for you. This allows you to have the last word on how your environment is set up. When your login scripts are switched to the new scheme, your customizations will become ineffective. Since the change may hit you at an inopportune time, you can change to the new scheme yourself by running the vanilla program.
Confusion abounds about what sort of commands goes into which files.
Set environment variables. May produce output. Set aliases and shell functions. Should never produce output. Introduction ipm is the DCI provided utility a user will use to manipulate his environment.