title: Appending to $PATH vs using aliases: Which is better?
body: <p>In at least some cases, aliases and adding $PATH locations can be used interchangeably. For example, looking at the python tool <a href="https://github.com/couchapp/couchapp" rel="noreferrer">couchapp</a>, I need to either alias the executable (<a href="https://github.com/couchapp/couchapp/pull/240" rel="noreferrer">as helpfully described here</a>) or make the executable available via $PATH.</p>
  
  <p>These are the two lines that can achieve this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>alias couchapp="~/Library/Python/2.7/bin/couchapp"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>OR</p>
  
  <pre><code>export PATH=$PATH:~/Library/Python/2.7/bin/
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Is there a very definite 'better' option of these two? Why or why not?</p>