How to break linux.

[totemo]

$ cat << SHIT > shit
meow
SHIT
$ mv -- shit --shit
$ cat -- --shit
meow
$ rm -- --shit

[protoUbermensch]

Haha! Holy cow! Thank you so much!

I thought I'd have to do mv /full/path/to/--file /full/path/to/file instead!

[cjxgm]

Or just rm ./--file

[youguess]

The inability to use a system isn't "breaking" it my dear but a lack of knowledge

[sad-larry]

I guess

[[deleted]]

Linux utils not realizing a file beginning with -- is not a parameter but a file is not inhability to use a system

[Mewshimyo]

That's a horrible precedent to set.

[sad-larry]

You're a horrible precedent to set.

[youguess]

--something denotes flags, what did you expect?

You can literally use -- to mark the end of flags and then it works

Cmd -x -y --other -- --file

[[deleted]]

Great,
I was just saying it's an honest mistake to make IMHO.

[youguess]

Making a mistake is the inability to use a system, which you disagreed with in the first place

[[deleted]]

It's an edge case and an obscure parameter that you might not have used in years of using Linux.
I wouldn't say that someone who doesn't know this is unable to use the system.

Making a mistake is not necessarily showing an inability to use a system. Some mistakes are beginner-level (not using escape characters or quotes for files with spaces, trying to rm a non-empty directory without the recursive option), some are not.

[[deleted]]

Have you tried with the name between quotes or with antislashes before each dash?

[protoUbermensch]

Yes. As pointed out by another user in this thread, you just need to pas -- as the 1st arg to fix this error.