If you see an error of this kind:

syntax error at /dev/null line 1, near "line arguments:"
Execution of /dev/null aborted due to compilation errors.
parse: Undefined error: 0

there is a chance that your /dev/null device is broken. You can test it with:

panic% echo > /dev/null

It should silently complete the command. If it doesn't, /dev/null is broken. Refer to your OS's manpages to learn how to restore this device. On most Unix flavors, this is how it's done:

panic# rm /dev/null
panic# mknod /dev/null c 1 3
panic# chmod a+rw /dev/null

You need to create a special file using mknod, for which you need to know the type and both the major and minor modes. In our case, cstands for character device, 1 is the major mode, and 3 is the minor mode. The file should be readable and writable by everybody, hence the permission mode settings (a+rw).