comp.unix.ask-the-wizards (was: rm ./- (I have a file named "-"))

[Tom Christiansen]

>From the keyboard of dean at po.CWRU.Edu:
:>
:>Here's an answer and I've tested it:    rm ./-
:
:What's wrong with 'rm - -filename'???  It's in TFM and works under
:SUN OS, AIX, and Ultrix.  I assume it works under others too, but
:I only have access to those 3 at the moment.

Because not all programs interpret dash that way.  Consider "tar f -".
On the other hand, all programs will handle "./-" because it's in 
the kernel (namei, lookuppn, or whatever your local flavor is) that
this is "recognized". 

:I don't think this qualifies as a dumb answer (it is the way TFM says
:to do it.)  And I don't think it's a flame either.  Just a simple
:way of doing the deed, and an explination of a feature put into
:rm to get around this particular problem.

Please expline why comp.unix.wizards should be the place for people to
post REALLY TRIVIALLY SIMPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT UNIX that they could have:

	read in the manual
	read in the faq
	asked at their site
	posted to comp.unix.questions

I now clearly see why we should have let c.u.wizards die: it just attracts
this kind of noise.  What real wizard is really going to wade through the
dreck to get at the good stuff.

We've had about one of these a day lately in this group.  Let's rename it
to comp.unix.ask-the-wizards, and then the rest of us can go off to
comp.unix.internals where they won't know to find us. :-)


--tom
-- 
"UNIX was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things, because
 that would also stop you from doing clever things." -- Doug Gwyn

 Tom Christiansen                tchrist at convex.com      convex!tchrist