You need to do an escape, for example: "vi ~" Will tell you your trying to open a directory, and infact list the contents, but this: "vi \~" Will create a new file, called ~, so logically, you could use: "rm -rf \~" On Mon, 2004-04-19 at 11:09, Martin Stone wrote: > Alexander Dalloz wrote: > > Am Mo, den 19.04.2004 schrieb Vano Beridze um 09:17: > > > > > >>Hello > >> > >>I've accidentally (from a java program) created a directory named ~ in > >>my home directory. > >>Because ~ is a synonim for a home directory how can I delete this > >>directory safely? > >>I mean I don't want to delete my whole home directory just that wierd > > > > one. > > > >>Thank you > >>Vano > > > > > > Besides the other suggestions, as a general annotation too, on bash you > > can use > > > > command -- special_sign_name > > > > The leading "--" tells the shell that the following is no options set. > > So in your case it would be while you are in the directory where the > > miscreated directory is placed > > > > rm -rf -- ~ > > > > You can use this too if you accidentally created i.e. a file named "-f" > > > > rm -f will not work, but > > rm -- -f will do. > > > > Alexander > > No. "rm -rf -- ~" absolutely WILL expand the ~ and remove your home directory! > The expansion of "~" is done by bash, not the rm command. The -- only tells > rm not to treat what follows as an option; it does not tell bash not to expand > "~". I would hope that you would test before posting such inaccurate and > dangerous advice. -- Adam Voigt adam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
