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Reader Feedback and Insights: Ted's Too Easy on Unix
Hey, Ted:
You have written a great explanation, but Unix is far worse than you indicated ["Understanding the Unix Mindset"].
A Unix command cannot tell the difference between an option and a parameter! So if you typed this:
mv filename -filename
You would end up with a file called -filename. But if you typed this:
mv -filename filename
You would end up with an error message, because Unix thinks that the -f in the first parameter is an option. According to The Unix Hater's Guide there are several myths about Unix. One is that Unix is well-documented. Another is that Unix is documented.
You can always check out the "bugists" in the "man" pages. (By the way, I thought the commands were named after stomach noises.)
The UNIX-HATER's Handbook is published by IDG Books (ISBN 1-56884-203-1). The book comes with your very own Unix barf bag!
--Dave
Not only does Unix think the f is an option, it also thinks that i, l, e, n, a, m, and e are options.
The second example you gave works under Qshell and the Korn shell, if you add a double-dash (--) after mv, to indicate the end of the options.
mv -- -filename filename
But, of course, you shouldn't have to add a double dash.
I'll have to get a copy of The Unix Hater's Guide.
--Ted
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Editors
Howard Arner
Joe Hertvik
Ted Holt
David Morris
Managing Editor
Shannon Pastore
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