I accidentally untarred archive intended to be extracted in root directory, which among others included some files for /etc directory.
I went on to rm -rv ~/etc, but I quickly typed rm -rv /etc instead, and hit enter, while using a root account.

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
    1·
    10 hours ago

    Unix aficionados accept occasional file deletion as normal. For example, consider following excerpt from the comp.unix.questions FAQ:
    6) How do I “undelete” a file?
    Someday, you are going to accidentally type something like:
    % rm * .foo
    and find you just deleted “*” instead of “*.foo”. Consider it a rite of passage.
    Of course, any decent systems administrator should be doing regular backups. Check with your sysadmin to see if a recent backup copy of your file is available

    “A rite of passage”? In no other industry could a manufacturer take such a cavalier attitude toward a faulty product. “But your honor, the exploding gas tank was just a rite of passage.”

    There’s a reason sane programs ask for confirmation for potentially dangerous commands