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Date:      Wed, 27 Jan 1999 07:48:56 -0800
From:      Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>
To:        Jon Hamilton <hamilton@pobox.com>
Cc:        Brian Somers <brian@Awfulhak.org>, markf@prophecy.com.au, freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: rm with no arguments... 
Message-ID:  <199901271549.HAA26208@cwsys.cwsent.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 27 Jan 1999 07:53:54 CST." <19990127135354.7514745CB3@pobox.com> 

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In message <19990127135354.7514745CB3@pobox.com>, Jon Hamilton writes:
> 
> In message <199901270833.IAA01052@keep.lan.Awfulhak.org>, Brian Somers wrote:
> } > Jon Hamilton, Wednesday, January 27, 1999 5:26 PM said:
> } > >On 3.0-STABLE from this past Saturday, rm -f with no arguments _does_
> } > >complain.
> } > 
> } > I can confirm this on 2.2.8 stable also (as of Dec98).
> } > Does anyone use a script where this hasn't produced output?
> } > The man page says it stays quiet if the file(s) mentioned on the command 
> li
> } ne don't exist.  It doesn't say what happens if no command-line option is g
> iv
> } en.  As a temporary work-around (just to shut it up), try specifying a "gua
> ra
> } nteed dummy" filename as a dummy argument:
> } [.....]
> } 
> } The man page doesn't specify ``file'' as optional, therefore it's a 
> } usage error and must be warned about.
> 
> >From a purist point of view, I suppose you're correct.  The down side
> is that this breaks with many years of UNIX tradition.  The code and
> the man page should both be fixed IMO.

To add to this, Solaris, DEC UNIX and RedHat do not warn when "rm -f" 
is entered.


Regards,                       Phone:  (250)387-8437
Cy Schubert                      Fax:  (250)387-5766
Open Systems Group          Internet:  Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca
ITSD                                   Cy.Schubert@gems8.gov.bc.ca
Province of BC




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