Max Hyre wrote: > Dear Andreas: > >Casper BodenCummins wrote: > >> /usr/bin/[* >> This is junk. Blow it away. > >DON'T DO IT! > >Whew---sorry for shouting, but: This is indeed a file named ``['', >and it's executable (hence the ``*'' in what must be an ls -lF >listing). > >``['' is a synonym for the ``test'' command, used in shell programming >constructs such as: [..]
Hey, *sorry* folks (especially Andreas). This bit of bad advice really generated a lot of replies. I never would have realised that "[" was a link to "test" - what a bizarre-looking and cunning way to do it. It brings to mind the unofficial SAS motto: assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups. Casper Boden-Cummins.
