title: properly using IO redirection to append user input to a file in linux scripting?
body: <p>I'm just starting to learn linux scripting, and with them user output/inputs.  One of the things i need to learn and keep trying to do to no avail is append user input to a file output. Something like</p>
  
  <p>read text > text.dat  </p>
  
  <p>or</p>
  
  <p>read text
  $text > text.dat</p>
  
  <p>Typically ends up in failure, or the creation of text.dat which ends up empty no matter what is typed in by the user.  What am i missing?</p>