I recommend a book called "From Bash to Z Shell" (http://www.bash2zsh.com/ http://www.bash2zsh.com/). It favors zsh, but teaches tons of bash tricks, too. The

I recommend a book called "From Bash to Z Shell" (http://www.bash2zsh.com/ http://www.bash2zsh.com/). It favors zsh, but teaches tons of bash tricks, too. The files you're describing are just startup files, read by bash as it starts up in various modes. I put my configuration into .zshrc. It will take some effort to understand your new shell's default behaviors and how to customize them.