What's up with bash shell and spaces in filenames?

[Mike Wright]

Alan Evans wrote:
> This is an on-again-off-again kind of problem. It usually hits me when
> it is least convenient, like when I only have shell access to the
> machine. Example:
> 
> [alan at agena ~]$ cd /media/My\ Book/
> bash: cd: /media/My: No such file or directory
> [alan at agena ~]$ cd "/media/My Book/"
> bash: cd: /media/My: No such file or directory
> [alan at agena ~]$ Gaaah!
> bash: Gaaah!: command not found
> 
> What's up with that? Usually it is no trouble, but occasionally, bash
> refuses to deal with spaces. I don't even know what to do in this
> case.

You could use a "?" where the " " is.