Re: rm -R /usr/

["S. Salman Ahmed" <ssahmed@pathcom.com>]

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>>>>> "JIS" == Jacob I Stowell <js8319@csc.albany.edu> writes:
    JIS>  hello i am a new debian user and i just learned a hard lesson.
    JIS> I guess it is a bad idea to issue the following command:
    JIS> 
    JIS> rm -R /usr/
    JIS> 
    JIS> i try to look at the bright side, you know make lemonade and
    JIS> all that, so at least i get a new system as a result of my
    JIS> bonehead mistake.  Hopefully i will make different, and yet
    JIS> equally idiotic mistakes in the future.
    JIS> 
    JIS> thanks for listening, i just needed to vent.
    JIS> 

One way to reduce the likelihood of sth like that from happening again
is to alias rm to "rm -i" which puts rm in interactive mode. That way rm
will prompt you for everything but at least it will remind you whether
or not you really should go ahead.

Its not foolproof, however, since you could still type "rm -f" or "rm
- -fr" which will override the interactive mode ...

Be esp. careful when logged in as root.

- -- 
Salman Ahmed
ssahmed AT pathcom DOT com

http://www.pathcom.com/~ssahmed
GnuPG Key fingerprint = A6DB 6C85 DE5A 33BB E873  E437 58B2 09CD 977B 900B

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