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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!era
From: era@hao.UUCP (Ed Arnold)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: Funny file names
Message-ID: <1550@hao.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-May-85 15:22:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: hao.1550
Posted: Mon May 20 15:22:42 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 21-May-85 05:06:07 EDT
References: <279@eneevax.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Natl Ctr Atm Resrch
Lines: 32

> By mistake I created a file called ^G (ctl-G) from readnews.  When
> went back to the csh, I did an `ls' and it told me that I had file
> called `?'.  When I tried to `rm ?' it wouldn't go away.  However,
> I tried `rm ^G', that worked.  I think this is kind of strange.
> 
> What happens if one (by mistake) creates a file called `ctl-foo' and one
> didn't know that this was happening.  The next time they did an `ls'
> of that directory they'd get a `?' and it would be impossible to remove
> because they don't know the name.
> 
> Can someone explain this to me?
> 
> -- 
> 			Pravin Kumar
> 
> Don't bother me! I'm on an emergency third rail power trip.
> 
> ARPA:   phaedrus!eneevax@maryland
> UUCP:   {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!eneevax!phaedrus

You can see what those funny files really are by doing something like
"ls | od -c".  If a funny file contains something really awful,
like chars above 177(8), you may have to write a short C program
containing a call to unlink(), to get rid of them.
-- 
Ed Arnold
NCAR/SCD (Nat'l Ctr for Atmospheric Research/Scientific Computing Div.)
USPS: POB 3000, Boulder, CO  80307-3000
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