Problems invoking psql. Help please.

Hey folks:

I am able to consistently start and stop the postgreSQL server and to
access it across our office network with pgAdmin II. I have had no luck
invoking the psql command line prompt, from where I can enter queries and
start to surmount the learning curve from background with mySQL to my next
step with postgreSQL. Can anyone help me figure out, please, what this is
about and what I can do about it?

I've copied the shell dialogue below.
Everything in: /usr/lib/postgresql/bin is owned by root:root.
Who should these files be owned by?
The database engine is invoked as postgres,
which is the user which created the databse.
Do I harm anything if I chown postgres:postgres
for everything in that directory?

Will this get me past this error and to a psql prompt?

I am operating on a Debian Woody Platform,
with postgreSQL 7.2.1 and ODBC driver 7.1.9.

All help is appreciated. Thanks.

-- Hugh Esco

>hesco(at)biko:~$ su postgres
>Password:
>postgres(at)biko:/home/hesco$ locate psql
>/usr/bin/psql
>/usr/lib/odbc/libodbcpsqlS.so
>/usr/share/man/man1/psql.1.gz
>/var/home/hesco/.psql_history
>postgres(at)biko:/home/hesco$ ./psql
>sh: ./psql: No such file or directory
>postgres(at)biko:/home/hesco$ psql
>env: /usr/lib/postgresql/bin/readpgenv: Permission denied
>No database specified
>postgres(at)biko:/home/hesco$ psql ggp_test
>env: /usr/lib/postgresql/bin/readpgenv: Permission denied
>Could not execv /usr/lib/postgresql/bin/psql
>postgres(at)biko:/home/hesco$