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How can I hide username and computer in terminal command prompt? Is it possible to show current folder and $ sign?

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What do you mean by show current folder? The current folder is already shown after the :. BTW: I've changed the computer name in System Preferences -> Sharing to MBP. Now my login prompt is very short: mbp:~ matt$ – gentmatt Dec 29 '11 at 7:27

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Change your prompt in your ~/.bashrc file. The example you asked for would be:

export PS1="\W \$"

It would result in the current folder you're in being shown plus a $ for the regular prompt and a # if you're root. Check out this guide for more examples of what you could show in your prompt.

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I have two questions since I have not that much experience working in the terminal :). 1) Why do you write ~/.bashrc? I found this file located at /private/bashrc. 2) I did not manage to edit the file because it is locked. I've tried changing permissions without success. – gentmatt Dec 29 '11 at 7:18
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/etc/bashrc is the global file for all users, ~/.bashrcis your own. Definitions in your own overwrite whatever is defined in /etc/bashrc. – patrix♦ Dec 29 '11 at 7:37
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bashrc files are your bash resource files. Where you can customize the prompt, set aliases, export variables. Things of that nature. Like patrix said, the /etc/bashrc and the /private/bashrc files have system-wide resources. So somewhere in the /etc/bashrc is an export PS1 and if you edit your own bashrc file which is located at ~/.bashrc and export your own PS1 then on your account the command prompt will be different. If you want it changed for all users you have to edit the /etc/bashrc with a sudo command. – CaldwellYSR Dec 29 '11 at 17:28

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