# Configure --prefix with "~"

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/configure-prefix-with/228144>\
**Category:** NGINX\
**Created:** [April 11, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/configure-prefix-with/228144 "2013-04-11T05:48:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mengqy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@mengqy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mengqy)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/configure-prefix-with/228144/1 "2013-04-11T05:48:09Z")

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nginx 1.3.15, ubuntu 12.04, bash:

$ ./configure --prefix=~/tools/webserver/install …  
$ make && make install

→ a dir named ‘~’ is created within current dir, but `~` should be  
interpreted as `$HOME` instead, right?

Thanks to the protection from gvfs, `rm -rf ~` did not cause a disaster  
(it  
should be `rm -rf \~`)

Posted at Nginx Forum:

> **[configure --prefix with "~"](https://forum.nginx.org/read.php?2,238270,238270#msg-238270)**
>
> nginx 1.3.15, ubuntu 12.04, bash: $ ./configure --prefix=~/tools/webserver/install ... $ make && make install --\> a dir named '~' is created within current dir, but \`~\` should be interpreted as \`$HOME\` instead, right? Thanks to the prote

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mengqy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@mengqy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mengqy)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/configure-prefix-with/228144/2 "2013-04-11T14:20:29Z")

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On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 11:47:24PM -0400, mengqy wrote:

> nginx 1.3.15, ubuntu 12.04, bash:
> 
> $ ./configure --prefix=~/tools/webserver/install …  
> $ make && make install
> 
> → a dir named ‘~’ is created within current dir, but `~` should be  
> interpreted as `$HOME` instead, right?
> 
> Thanks to the protection from gvfs, `rm -rf ~` did not cause a disaster (it  
> should be `rm -rf \~`)

`~’ is interpreted by your shell. Normally shell interprets it  
as “tilde prefix” only at the beginning of a word.