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From: leilabd@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Leila Burrell-Davis)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: rm *
Message-ID: <2008@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Date: 16 Jan 90 16:44:34 GMT
Organization: Computing Service, University of Sussex, UK
Lines: 15

[Sorry if this has been suggested before, I only just noticed this
discussion.]

A simple tip which I picked up somewhere to avoid inadvertent 'rm *'
commands is to have a file called -i in each directory (create with
'touch ./-i'). If you type 'rm *', the first file in the directory
is (almost) certain to be -i, which will be interpreted as a flag to
the command rather than as a filename and will put rm into
interactive mode. I find this a useful safeguard and only very
rarely irritating.
-- 
Leila Burrell-Davis, Computing Service, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Tel: +44 273 678390   Fax: +44 273 678335  JANET: leilabd@uk.ac.sussex.syma
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