UNIX "dot" files

[Ken Keirnan]

In article <1464 at crdos1.crd.ge.COM> davidsen at crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>
>  Files with a dot as the first character are not display by default
>using ls. That keeps them from cluttering the listings. There is nothing
>else magic about the dot, and you can use it to keep files out of your
>way.
>



One other important aspect of "dot" files is they are not expanded by
the shell(s) when using file expansion metacharacters (?*[]). This give
"dot" files some protection from accidental erasure or modification.


Ken Keirnan
Pacific Bell

-- 

Ken Keirnan - Pacific Bell - {att,bellcore,sun,ames,pyramid}!pacbell!pbhyf!kjk
  San Ramon, California	                    kjk at pbhyf.PacBell.COM