Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!necisa!boyd
From: boyd@necisa.ho.necisa.oz.au (Boyd Roberts)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: Re: I have a file named "-"
Message-ID: <2028@necisa.ho.necisa.oz.au>
Date: 28 Feb 91 00:33:27 GMT
References: <22834@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1991Feb26.170212.22920@convex.com> <6661@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Followup-To: comp.unix.questions
Organization: NEC Information Systems Australia Pty. Ltd.
Lines: 54

In article <6661@idunno.Princeton.EDU> pfalstad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Paul Falstad) writes:
>
>If you have a file that simply has a '/' in it, you can
>just quote the slash:
>
>   rm "/"

Sorry?  What difference does the quoting make?  None.

>
>1. Write a short C program:
>
>main()
>{
>   rename("-",".nfsXXXX");
>}

Since when does _every_ system have rename(2)?

>
>3. Tar up the whole directory and then remove it with rm -rf, then use a
>binary editor to change the name of the file to something else.  Then
>untar it and delete it normally.
>

The ``let's rearrange the universe to move one rock'' approach.

>4. Use ls -i to get the inode of the file, and then ask the super-user
>to run clri on the inode, followed by fsck.

Preventing all the other users from using the file-system for the
duration of this stupidity.

>5. Get the source to rm, and remove all the option handling routines
>with #ifdefs.  Then compile it and use the simpler version of rm to
>delete the file.

Of course, use the source.  We _all_ have the source.

>
>There may be simpler ways but these should work although I haven't
>tested any of them.  Hope this helps.  ;-)
>

Maybe even:

    rm ./-

which you can read about in the FAQ!


Boyd Roberts			boyd@necisa.ho.necisa.oz.au

``When the going gets wierd, the weird turn pro...''