[gentoo-user] Re: When ls command fails but only on $HOME

[Harry Putnam]

Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@×××××.com> writes:

> Apparently, though unproven, at 12:28 on Monday 01 November 2010, Harry Putnam
> did opine thusly:
>
>> Something I have not run into before.
>>
>> Following a major update still in progress I find the ls command will
>> not run on $HOME.
>>
>> I can view the directory with emacs in dired mode but `ls' simply will
>> not complete... never shows anything and stays hung indefinitely.
>>
>> Top shows 94% idle so its not from heavy system usage.
>>
>> The ls command seems to work anywhere else, and I see nothing peculiar
>> when viewing $HOME with emacs.
>>
>> Running `ls' from a root shell against my user $HOME, is the same story,
>> indefinite hang, nothing listed.
>>
>> I've let it run from both user and root shell for upwards of 1/2 hr.
>> Still just sets there.
>>
>> I've killed the terminal and restarted both user and root shells.  But
>> still the same result... a `ls' against my user $HOME will just hang.
>>
>> In both root shell and user shell, once `ls' is run against my user
>> $HOME, the command hangs but also cannot by interrupted.  Ctrl-c will
>> not stop it.
>>
>> It only seem to happen on $HOME.... how very odd.
>> Anyone else seen that or have an idea what might be the cause?
>
> By the time the command hits ls itself, the shell has already expanded the
> HOME variable. So it's unlikely to be the command and more something dodgy
> with your shell.
>
> What shell are you using?
> What is the output of "echo $HOME"?

My shell is xterm... and was just updated to:
  Wed Oct 27 10:15:06 2010 >>> x11-terms/xterm-262

 echo $HOME
/home/reader

That recent update may be the problem.  I'll back that out later to
see, but right now have a bigger and more urgent problem getting mail
back in order following a major update.