checkmail (Really: creating empty files)

[Chris Robertson]

In article <1256 at uwmcsd1.UUCP> shop at uwmcsd1.UUCP (Thomas Krueger) writes:
>> Tim Maroney writes:
>> ... the easiest way [to get an empty file] is probably "cat > .m"
>> followed by an end of file.
>
>Another coupla ways is to cp /dev/null .m , or on Berkeley systems, touch
>will create the zero length file to begin with.
>
Try using ": > file" -- the file is guaranteed empty, and it works for
any shell I know of.
-- 
Christine Robertson {linus, decvax, ihnp4}!utzoo!{nonh, toram!chris}

Cat, n. - lapwarmer with built-in buzzer.