rm -rf * What would it do and why would you use it?

[Walter Vaughan]

fp at casabellagallery.com wrote:

> Some one logged in last night using rm -rf * as a user ID at about 9:00 PM
> last night.  I'm not sure who actually did but I traced the IP (166.82.96.28) 

No that was me working on too many windows last night and not watching what has 
focus. I was remote desktoped and thought I was typing that into a putty window.
When nothing happened I had that "oh $hit moment" when the window didn't 
respond. Having only one eye working at 60% these days sucks, but I should have 
made sure I had the right window in focus before typing...

It looked like it didn't cause any problems because a few seconds later I saw 
something update on the right hand side, cause when I saw what I did I said the 
standard admin prayer, "Please let him have a backup", and when I saw life a 
second later I saw that it was answered. I guess I should have written you, but 
within that same minute my wife walked in the bedroom, needed to talk with me, 
then the boys needed running into bed, and that was the rest of the night.

--
Walter