Upgrading and setting PATH

[trickster]

How do I set a PATH? For example, I just downloaded J2SE, how do I tell it to add it to my PATH?
Also, If I have some applications already installed, and I wish to upgrade to new versions, (Using Slackware, not using any package manager), do I need to erase something, or just download the source and compile and all that? Will it overwrite the older files, for example, if I were to upgrade Mozilla?
Last one: I just installed OpenOffice. The installation went fine as root. I get my KDE menu entry as root, (for the OpenOffice applications) but not as a regular user. Any ideas?

[redhead]

export PATH="/new/path:$PATH"
put it in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile or for system wide /etc/bashrc

For upgrading on slack, just d/l compile, make install.. The install script will overwrite the older versions of the files. (if they get placed in the same libraries)

As with KDE, sorry never used it, can't help there.

[trickster]

Thank you, Redhead. I had no /etc/bashrc. However, I had a /etc/profile, and it seems that was the right file. I wonder how to add the menu on KDE, though..