Exclude hidden files/folders from backup

[Longman, Bill]

> Thanks for your replies. I tested the following command in a shell:
> 
> tar --exclude .AppleDouble --exclude .AppleDesktop -cvf 
> /dev/tape /home
> 
> everything seemed to be going fine to begin within - the .AppleDouble
> and .AppleDesktop files were excluded as requested.
> 
> However, the process seemed to grind to a halt after about 10 small
> files. I waited about 30 minutes to see if anything had changed.
> Nothing! I was unable to kill the process off (- couldn't 
> gain access to
> another terminal or via webmin)! All I could do was force a reboot!

Well if you couldn't even get to another terminal session, that's something
big wrong. My first thought was that you hit a pipe. I don't know how tar
handles pipes when it tries to back them up, so I could be all wet on this.
You might want to use the depth and file type parameters.