It wasn't just "rm" you had to be careful with...
I remember as a fledgling sysadmin being sent with a colleague (hello Huw) to a week long DEC Ultrix Systems course at Shire Hall, Reading (now that building really was an exercise in spacial awareness!). We had been introduced to "setld", the Ultrix package manager and as part of the whole learning, I recall removing one teensy small package and wondering why it was taking so long to finish. Until it dawned on me that by mistake I had selected to delete one of the core operating system sets... [isn't it strange how for some, those moments make the room go terribly warm and for others, somewhat chilly].
Not enough of the OS survived for it to be repairable but fortunately we were using RIS servers to provide the packages rather local media, so a swift reinstall followed. But it is safe to say that the remainder of that session 'till afternoon tea was somewhat hazy.
Actually, more fortunate was the fact that my mistake was made on the training ground as opposed to in the heat of battle.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
