Subject: how do I delete files beginning with a "!"???

From: Whigfield <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 04:56:51 -0500 (EST)

Does anyone know how to delete files from my home directory that begin
with an "!" the ! character is for some reason not allowed.  How do I
delete it????

                                      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Nicholas Cipolla                      $  "Ego hominem callidorem vidi    $
MC '99                                $   neminem quam Nicholam Cipollam"$
[email-masked]         $                                  $
                                      $   ---Sapientissimus vir          $
                                      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 11:35:18 +0100 (CET)

On Wed, 19 Feb 1997, Whigfield wrote:

Anyone got an idea how a) and b) relate to each other? Besides, in a phrase
like the tag-line, an ablativus comparationis ... Well, never mind. Here are
the three answers to today's $1.000.000 question:

1) Go the Windows way: Midnight Commander or whichever file-broser there is
   on your system.

2) Use the Source, Luke: RTFM.

3) Use the follwing command:
  	rm "!rest_of_filname"
  	
Voila.

Cheers,
Robin

++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++
   Robin S. Socha	 Political Incorrectness Dept.	Tel: +49(0228)22217-8
   Bonner Talweg 56	 Bonn University		Fax: +49(0228)22217-9
   53113 Bonn		 email: [email-masked]
++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++
       On the package it said: "Requires MS Windows 3.11 or better"  
	       			      ...  so I got myself Linux. 
++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++

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From: Rick <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 14:45:41 -0700 (MST)

>with an "!" the ! character is for some reason not allowed.  How do I

The command to remove files in Unix is the "rm" command. You can normally 
just type "rm <filename>", however, you must remember a couple of things, 
first, Unix is case-sensitive, and second, if you get some really strange 
filenames, such as the one with the "!" char in it, you must either put the 
filename in double qoutes after the "rm", or use the "\" before any 
occurances of the "!", and in some cases, do both.

Hope this helps. :-)

Amiga / /    [email-masked] 
2000 / /     Rick Kelley 
 \ \/ /      2736 Grant Ave. 
  \/\/       Ogden, UT 84401
--------------------------------------------
Member of "Team AMIGA"
--------------------------------------------

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From: Paul Mitchell <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 13:29:01 -0500

> with an "!" the ! character is for some reason not allowed.  How do I

Assuming you are using a Unix machine, try:

	rm \!yourfile
	rm "!yourfile"

or lastly, alias rm to rm -i (how you do this will depend on which shell
you are running), and do a rm * (saying no to every file but the one you
wish to delete).

Paul Mitchell

==============================================================================
   Paul Mitchell				email: [email-masked]
   Office of Information Technology		phone: (919) 962-5259
   University of North Carolina		        
==============================================================================

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From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 00:46:32 +0100 (CET)

>or lastly, alias rm to rm -i (how you do this will depend on which shell
                          ^^^^^
  >you are running), and do a rm * (saying no to every file but the one you

Err... I don't think that's a good idea... Rather, try man rm and man shell
(maybe man bash or whatever...)  and READ man rm. Paul's idea will
*probably* work, but with the "rm *" command, I'd really be careful.
R_E_A_L_L_Y... There's no undelete, and that command will remove almost
everything... except for directories and important files. So---why not, give
it a try, because it's WEEKEND!

BTW, where did [email-masked]  (Bill D) go? 

Cheers,
Robin

   Robin S. Socha	 Political Science Dept.	Tel: +49(0228)22217-8

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From: Emil Isberg <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 02:57:42 +0100 (MET)

> it a try, because it's WEEKEND!

Hmm .. in bash-v2.00 does rm \!file and rm '!file' work as do rm -i 
?file (could be several files) ..

 rm "!file" don't work (history expansion) ..

[But if you need to be "really" sure be sure that the file will be removed
type rm -rf / (readmail -realfast). Disclaimer: I will take no
repsonsibility if anyone types this command.]

That's a one very good line .. if your signature where a little more
compact (less spaces in it/only two seperators/less lines) It would too be
a great one .. :-)

/Emil
"The last good thing written in C was Franz Schubert's Symphony number 9."

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From: [email-masked] (Orjan Johansen)
Date: 22 Feb 1997 20:04:50 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>with an "!" the ! character is for some reason not allowed.  How do I

Some people have erroneously suggested putting the filename in double 
quotes; However this only works for most special characters, not ! and 
$. Single quotes are more reliable.

rm '!whatever'

And as mentioned, you can also put \ before special characters.

Greetings,
Ørjan.

---

From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 13:18:26 +0100 (CET)

>>>>Whigfield wrote:
  >>>Paul Mitchell wrote:
  >>Robin S. Socha wrote:
  >On Sun, 23 Feb 1997, Emil Isberg crapped:

Sorry for this lengthy piece of email, but a) darling Emil screwed up the
quotations, and b) there is something in the message (type rm -rf /
(readmail -realfast)) that needs a little clarification:

  >[But if you need to be "really" sure be sure that the file will be
  >removed type rm -rf / (readmail -realfast). Disclaimer: I will take no

This is neither funny nor responsible. In short: This command will make an
attempt at removing (rm) everything on your disk recursively (/ -r), without
waiting for your permission (-f force). This won't work, of course, but
might do some damage to your homedir.

It originated as a joke in response to a spammer's request for help:

:>In article <[email-masked]> in newsgroup
:>comp.mail.pine, LRC-Lienzer Dolomiten <[email-masked]>
:>wrote:
:>How can i send 1000s of emails ??
:type
:'rm -rf * pine'
:at a Unix shell prompt.
:The "rm" means "read mail" and the "-rf" option means "really fast", which
:is most appropriate when you are sending out more than 100 pieces at a
:time. The "*" means for the "readmail" command to send to as many addresses
:as it can find, and the "pine" of course means to use pine to do it.
:The "readmail" command is named that way for historic reasons.  Don't ask.

To put it in a "poetic" way:

You say: "readmail -realfast"
and you claim these words as your own
but I'm well-read, have heard them said
a hundred times (maybe less, maybe more)
if you must write prose/poems
the words you use should be your own
don't plagarise or take "on loan"
there's alway someone, somewhere
with a big nose, who knows
and who trips you up and laughs
  when you fall.

Morrissey would probably kill me for this >;-> It's Cemetry Gates off the
Smiths' "The Queen is dead".

Now for the rest (which is totally irrelevant, so don't read any further).

  >> Robin S. Socha wrote:
  >> Err... I don't think that's a good idea... Rather, try man rm and man
  >> shell (maybe man bash or whatever...) and READ man rm. Paul's idea will
  >> everything... except for directories and important files. So---why not,
  >> give it a try, because it's WEEKEND!

  > rm "!file" don't work (history expansion) ..

Does anyone give a toss?

/--->FLAME ON

I suppose you're not [email-masked]  (Bill D), so here's my very
personal opinion of this suggestion:

1) We've had this before, but at the time it was a) appropriate and b)
funny. 
2) I strongly suspect that you've never touched a computer running u*ix
before, otherwise you'd know that the command won't do what you seemingly
think it will.
3) For historic reasons, I don't like Swedes. I don't like pathetic little
show-offs, either. You seem to be both. Could you please stick you head up a
dead pig?

  >compact (less spaces in it/only two seperators/less lines) It would too be

..."too"... like whose? If your "mails" were a little shorter (like 0kb?),
you might make less innovative contributions to the yet unwritten pamphlet
"How to rape the English language".

Don't bother responding.

FLAME OFF---->/

Cheers,
Robin

++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++
  Robin S. Socha	 Political Science Dept.       Tel: +49 228 22217-8
  Bonner Talweg 56	 Bonn University               Fax: +49 228 22217-9
  53113 Bonn		 email: [email-masked]
++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++
       On the package it said: "Requires MS Windows 3.11 or better"  
	       			      ...  so I got myself Linux. 
++---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---+---++

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From: Marco De la Cruz <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 22:54:28 GMT

> And as mentioned, you can also put \ before special characters.

Two other simple ways are using Emacs' "dired" (ESC-x dired RET) or,
easier yet, Lynx's "dired" (g . RET).

_________________________________
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