hi everyone-

sometimes in my curiosity to learn linux, i start "cat"ing random files in
the log directory and such, thinking they are actual logs... i do this with
scripts and the such too. However, sometimes i neglect to realize it is a
binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
characters. I tried logging out and killing the agetty that spawns that
console, but it just respawns, still with garbage instead of letters. Is
there any way to fix this short of a reboot?

thanks
--
dave
766-- The Irritating Upstairs Neighbor of the Beast

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 21:38:34 -0500, Dave wrote:

> hi everyone-
>
> sometimes in my curiosity to learn linux, i start "cat"ing random files in
> the log directory and such, thinking they are actual logs... i do this with
> scripts and the such too. However, sometimes i neglect to realize it is a
> binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
> characters. I tried logging out and killing the agetty that spawns that
> console, but it just respawns, still with garbage instead of letters. Is
> there any way to fix this short of a reboot?

How about trying (ta da):

reset

(If that fails though try: "setterm -reset").

--
-Menno.

Menno Duursma wrote:

> How about trying (ta da):
>
> reset

ah! thanks!
--
dave
766-- The Irritating Upstairs Neighbor of the Beast

Dave wrote:
> Menno Duursma wrote:

>>How about trying (ta da):
>>
>> reset
>
>
> ah! thanks!


and try the command:
#file filename
which will tell you if it's a binary
file, before you display it to the
console.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Eicq - The XEmacs ICQ Client <http://eicq.sf.net/>

iEUEABECAAYFAkAZ0bsACgkQHSfbS6lLMAPpIACVHHMATc+9d5 M2xPKvYG9bPZ5N
uQCgko4UZ/uqcTt5LLWIa0sYo2NcxEM=
=X3Z4
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Dave wrote:
> sometimes in my curiosity to learn linux, i start "cat"ing random files in
> the log directory and such, thinking they are actual logs... i do this with
> scripts and the such too. However, sometimes i neglect to realize it is a
> binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
> characters.

others have told you how to get out of it, but let me give you a tip:
instead of using cat, use less. it not only handles binary files better,
without messing up the console, it also allows you to navigate through the
file.

--
Joost Kremers joostkremers@yahoo.com
Slackware doesn't have any quirks. Other distros have quirks. Slackware's
just pure Linux.

Joost Kremers wrote:
> Dave wrote:
>
>>sometimes in my curiosity to learn linux, i start "cat"ing random files in
>>the log directory and such, thinking they are actual logs... i do this with
>>scripts and the such too. However, sometimes i neglect to realize it is a
>>binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
>>characters.
>
>
> others have told you how to get out of it, but let me give you a tip:
> instead of using cat, use less. it not only handles binary files better,
> without messing up the console, it also allows you to navigate through the
> file.
>
or the rather nice 'most' from http://www.jedsoft.org/

--
zsine
http://www.quillion.ukfsn.org

Joost Kremers<joostkremers@yahoo.com> wrote on Friday 30 January 2004 6:58
am:
> others have told you how to get out of it, but let me give you a tip:
> instead of using cat, use less. it not only handles binary files better,
> without messing up the console, it also allows you to navigate through the
> file.
>
thanks!
thatll sure make things easier
--
dave
766-- The Irritating Upstairs Neighbor of the Beast

In <bvcg3f$qkeip$1@ID-146796.news.uni-berlin.de>, Dave wrote:
[skip]

> binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
> characters. I tried logging out and killing the agetty that spawns that
> console, but it just respawns, still with garbage instead of letters. Is
> there any way to fix this short of a reboot?
>
> thanks

Yet another way: Ctrl-V-O

--
WBR, Nikolay Zhuravlev

Nikolay Zhuravlev wrote:

> In <bvcg3f$qkeip$1@ID-146796.news.uni-berlin.de>, Dave wrote:
> [skip]
>
>> binary file i am "cat"ing, and after it is done, my prompt is all garbage
>> characters. I tried logging out and killing the agetty that spawns that
>> console, but it just respawns, still with garbage instead of letters. Is
>> there any way to fix this short of a reboot?
>>
>> thanks
>
> Yet another way: Ctrl-V-O
>
#
Try also typing blindly the command "reset" and enter.
Avera.