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About this quote

What does it mean?
Avoid creating a file named '-rf' because it can be interpreted as a command option.
In plain terms
Don't name a file '-rf' to prevent command-line confusion.
What can you take from it?
Choose filenames that don't start with hyphens.

Where it applies

  • scripting
  • automation

Putting it to work

  • prefix with a letter
  • use quotes when referencing

Questions to consider

  • What other filenames cause command issues?
  • How can I safely handle hyphenated names?

Another view

Renaming may be cumbersome in existing projects.

More from Larry Wall

  1. I won't mention any names, because I don't want to get sun4's into trouble... :-)

    Permalink to quote #36
  2. last|perl -pe '$_ x=/(..:..)...(.*)/&&$1ge$1&&$1lt$2' That's gonna be tough for Randal to beat... :-)

    Permalink to quote #38
  3. It's there as a sop to former Ada programmers. :-)

    Permalink to quote #35

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