Bash Files

Hi, I'm trying to learn more about bash and setting up some system customizations. It seems like OpenSuSE 10.0 might be using a setup that's different from the "typical" .bash_profile, .bash_logout, and .bashrc files? Is this correct? Some of the changes that I make to those files take, and some of them don't. It's hit or miss, but something is setting my PATH and other stuff, I just can't figure out what. Is it all coming out of the system /etc directory? Thanks, Rob Wright suserob@poncacity.net