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Ooops.

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Re: Ooops.

#201

Post by endgame »

CGamesPlay wrote: post #100
illumin8 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was asked to uninstall IBM/Rational ClearCase from our source code repository server. Apparently at the time, Clearcase's installer NFS mounted 127.0.0.1:/ to a subdirectory. Don't ask me what brain-dead system designer thought this was a good idea. So, I did a simple /etc/init.d/clearcase stop (not sure that is the exact name) and: # rm -rf /opt/clearcase (hmm... that seems to be taking a little too long to run) Pan…

I've also done this, but it was a cPanel server and the jailshell did bind mounts to various directories on the system. I tried to remove the jailshell instance, and ended up removing a whole lot more.

Not useful in your case, but I've made a habit of using rmdir when removing directories that I think might be mounted.

Re: Ooops.

#202

Post by daeken »

mcantor wrote: post #194
daeken wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is completely unrelated to the original topic at hand, but I thought it might be interesting to shed some light on knife throwers' grips. For a given thrown weapon, whether a knife or an axe (or anything else that is meant to spin end-over-end), the number of revolutions is roughly fixed and is a function of the distance from the thrower to the target. Thus if you happen to be at a distance where you're getting…

I have always been amazed by knife-throwers' ability to calculate the amount of revolutions between their hand and their target when throwing. It just seems like one of those things that the human brain couldn't possibly calculate correctly on a consistent basis. Does it take a very long time to get comfortable with it when training?

It took me a couple months to get decent at it, though I'm still a quarter revolution or so off frequently. Axes came far more naturally to me, where I generally get very close to perfect on my first throw. If distances are marked I'm fine with either, though.

Re: Ooops.

#203

Post by latch »

mootothemax wrote: post #4

This release fixes the install script; it no longer deletes the /usr directory in its entirety. But how on earth did this get through even basic testing? Absolutely shocking!

Seems non-trivial to test. First, its in a bash install script - i wouldn't know where to start. Second, if you tested the behavior, you might just test that it "deletes /urs/lib/nvidia-current/xorg/xorg" by running the install script and checking that the folder is gone. Guess what, the folder is gone...test passes.

Re: Ooops.

#204

Post by philwelch »

AretNCarlsen wrote: post #58
Trufa wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A double edge knife/sword?

"Double-edged sword" has never worked for me, as a cliche. Do you often find yourself inadvertently smacking against the dull side of a single-edged sword, such that you stay away from double-edged swords for your own safety? rm is like a double- ended knife, i.e.: http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/4253/425... (Fun fact: many knife throwers grip the blade end anyway, rendering the cliche to an even…

I had a friend who actually knew proper sword technique, and he was not impressed by my machete with saw teeth on the other edge. With a single-edged sword you can use your forearm to support it when blocking, but with a double edged sword, not only can you not do that, but trying to block with the sword itself allows your opponent to overpower you and press your own sword against you.

Re: Ooops.

#205

Post by presto8 »

nathanb wrote: post #181
billswift wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use a script that moves a file to a ~/.trash directory when I use rm. If I am sure I want to actually delete a file permanently I just use /bin/rm.

Sounds like a great way to fill up your disk to me.

You could use a cron job that removes the "deleted" files after some period, such as 30 days.

Re: Ooops.

#206

Post by TheEzEzz »

(I'm not a Linux user, forgive my ignorance)

Is there no way to prevent bugs like this at the source, by modifying Linux, rather than hoping there isn't any extra white space in a command that might delete your usr directory?

Re: Ooops.

#207

Post by creativeembassy »

I had a hard drive crash on me once, and I wasn't that worried about it, because I had setup network-based backup to the server in a different room. I remember thinking, "Restoring this backup will be sooo much easier if I can just connect it directly to the PC." Que me walking with the backup HDD towards the PC in question, when I drop it on the floor. When I plugged it in, it literally bounced inside of the chassis (platters fell off motor or something).

Re: Ooops.

#208

Post by mkramlich »

noonespecial wrote: post #200
Vivtek wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done a similar thing a few years ago Ha - I'll bet everybody here has a story that starts like that. (Although your heroic save was heroic!) My sad delete story was in 1982 - I had a fantastic graphical robot-vs.-robot game stored on tape on an HP portable computer (I was in high school). For some reason, the delete command on the HP had a variant that deleted from a given block forward on the tape, as I recall,…

Mine was plugging in the power connector backwards on a super important ide drive (it was the only backup for an already failed server) and watching smoke issue from its controller board. Having to explain what I'd done to the boss was so scary, I slunk home with the drive and traced the power circuit with my oscilloscope until I found a capacitor that had blown short. I soldered on a through-hole replacement and it…

>Mine was plugging in the power connector backwards on a super important ide drive (it was the only backup for an already failed server) and watching smoke issue from its controller board.

yep this could cause you to lose a job.

> Having to explain what I'd done to the boss was so scary, I slunk home with the drive and traced the power circuit with my oscilloscope until I found a capacitor that had blown short. I soldered on a through-hole replacement and it worked!

pulling this off, however, could land you a job!

lesson: mistakes are human. talent and initiative are rare.

Re: Ooops.

#209

Post by bphogan »

noonespecial wrote: post #200
Vivtek wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done a similar thing a few years ago Ha - I'll bet everybody here has a story that starts like that. (Although your heroic save was heroic!) My sad delete story was in 1982 - I had a fantastic graphical robot-vs.-robot game stored on tape on an HP portable computer (I was in high school). For some reason, the delete command on the HP had a variant that deleted from a given block forward on the tape, as I recall,…

Mine was plugging in the power connector backwards on a super important ide drive (it was the only backup for an already failed server) and watching smoke issue from its controller board. Having to explain what I'd done to the boss was so scary, I slunk home with the drive and traced the power circuit with my oscilloscope until I found a capacitor that had blown short. I soldered on a through-hole replacement and it…

My gosh that's one of the best stories I've heard in a long time. The thing that worries me is that things like this are going to me rarer and rarer - there seems to be less interest in electronics, and less electronics that can be hack-fixed like that.

Re: Ooops.

#210

Post by monochromatic »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #118
monochromatic wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like reading Youtube comments--not for the faint of heart. And the jab at reddit from the HN pedestal is probably misguided... reddit used to be more like HN, and HN is becoming more like the bad parts of reddit every day. Every site tends toward Youtube level comments as time passes, and the people who don't like it eventually jump ship to a new site, and then the process repeats itself.

"And the jab at reddit from the HN pedestal is probably misguided... reddit used to be more like HN, and HN is becoming more like the bad parts of reddit every day." But you just did the same thing...

Not really the same thing. I'm saying that HN shouldn't look down its nose at reddit, since it appears to be heading the same direction. I'm taking a jab at both sites (and all sites, really).
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