Usage of Backlash in the Terminal

[prasanmouli]

Hello! I am new to Linux and am getting used to working in the shell. I wanted to install the Gnu Compiler Collection and had planned on using the following commands to get it running.
$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/AVR \
--target=avr --enable-languages="c,c++" \
--disable-nls
$ make
# make install

But I couldn't quite understand the function of the backslashes ('\'-marked them red here).
This is what it typed in the terminal

prasan@ubuntu:~/Downloads/gcc-4.7.0$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/AVR \
> --target=avr --enable-languages='c,c++" \
> --disable-nls
>

1. Is this right?
2. If so, can someone please tell me how to complete this set of instructions so that I could run configure file?
(This '>' keeps coming as I return signaling that I haven't terminated the command properly)

[codemaniac]

Shell treats backslash '\' as escape character ,that means whatever you type just after the '\' character will be ignored by the shell .
In your example to make the long commandline more readable , it has been split into several lines .So the return character just typed after the '\' has been ignored and the shell awaits for further input from the user .

http://steve-parker.org/sh/escape.shtml

[3v3rgr33n]

Suppose you accidentally type it.. for instance ; you type

ls \

The shell will wait for more input, how do escape from that because I normally press Cntrl-C

[prasanmouli]

Thank You! Got it running now!