$_

[aluminumsulfate at earthlink.net]

> Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 09:43:27 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Steven W. Orr" <steveo at syslang.net>

> =>If y'all haven't tried $_ yet, you should definitely give it a spin!
> 
> In terms of good practices, (assuming you're using bash) I prefer using !$
> 
> !$ is the last argument of the last command. It's from the csh history 

Using !$ has the advantage that bash shows you the expanded version of
the command you are executing.  But !$ doesn't interact with tab
completion like $_ does.  Try this:

$ ls -al /etc/sysctl.conf
$ less $_/<TAB>
...turns magically into...
$ less /etc/sysctl.conf
...and you can hit backspace...
$ less /etc/
...and fill in something eles
$ less /etc/asound.conf

In my commands, I've historically (ha ha) avoided ! like the plague
because - for me - it has more often than not lead to unexpected
results.  Of course, taking the time to learn all the ! forms would
probably help with this!  The idea of being able to access parameters
other than the last *does* appeal to me.  It sure would be nice if !
forms could be expanded in-place and edited before the command was
issued.