Re: [Mingw-users] Sad but true rm -rf / story

[Keith M. <kei...@us...>]

On 30/09/11 22:51, Earnie Boyd wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:01:25 +0100, Keith Marshall wrote:
>> While I sympathise that a bug in MSYS caused more destruction, as a
>> result of your invocation of 'rm -rf ~123install', than it probably
>> should have done, you must accept some responsibility for your own
>> carelessness, in invoking a potentially destructive command without
>> having a proper understanding of the syntax.  Your intent may have
>> been to expunge a directory called '~123install', but that ISN'T the
>> intent expressed by the command you invoked:
>>
>>   $ rm -rf ~123install
> 
> I understand the expansion of ~ and acknowledge that I foolishly used
> it without thinking about it

I would say carelessly, rather than foolishly; I certainly wouldn't wish
to suggest that you were foolish.

> however if I had done so in a 'NIX world rm -rf  would have sightly
> ignored the absence of the file system entry. It would not have
> proceeded to attempt to remove files beginning from the root device.

That's true, which is why I sympathise that the MSYS bug exacerbated the
undesirable outcome.  FWIW, I'll often run:

  $ echo rm -rf <args> ...

before running it for real, or maybe even substitute:

  $ rm -ri <args> ...

where I have any doubt as to how the shell might interpret '<args> ...'
in a potentially destructive scenario such as running 'rm -r ...'.

>> Now, lest I should create an impression of overbearing smugness, let
>> me candidly admit that I too could just as easily have made this same
>> mistake.  There is a lesson here, from which we can all benefit.
> 
> Which is why I brought it up on the list.

Ack.  I just felt that it needed amplification.

-- 
Regards,
Keith.