Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: How to delete a file with ^? chars in the name?
Message-ID: <2817@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 12 Jan 90 18:39:48 GMT
References: <7711@unix.SRI.COM> <8000004@hpopd.HP.COM>
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 19

>No C programs, no hacks, just one or two simple commands.  Why does this
>discussion go on forever everytime the question is asked?

Perhaps because:

	1) people don't read the "frequently asked questions" list,
	   which discusses, among other questions, "how do I remove
	   files with funny characters in their names";

	2) the question is sometimes asked in a fashion that indicates
	   some confusion; for example, the symptoms the person gave
	   seem to indicate that the three characters at the front of
	   the file name are neither <DEL> (a/k/a ^? or
	   "control-question-mark) nor ? (question mark), but some
	   unknown characters with the 8th bit set (which some versions
	   of "ls" will print as "?" under the assumption that they're
	   not printable).

The latter seems to be the source of at least some of the debate here....