Summarize this article in one sentence.
This particular file is used for commands which runs when the normal user logs in. The steps to set JAVA_HOME are:  Login to your account and open .bash_profile file  $ vi ~/.bash_profile If your path is set to /usr/java/jdk1.6.0_06/, set JAVA_HOME as follows:  export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jdk1.6.0_06/ Save and close the file. Logout and login back to see new changes, or type source ~/.bashrc

Summary:
To set the JAVA_HOME we use .bash_profile which is a start-up script.