1) not doing ls commands
2) having rescue plans like trying different directories in case a directory doesn't exist
3) doing instant URL pastes
4) doing stuff in loop
5) acting similarly to a robot
6) [feel free to add more here]
A script sophisticated enough to replicate the behaviour of a real user at a shell like this would likely actually achieve something.
Anyone clever enough to write a script that does this, wouldn't, because they'd also be clever enough to realise that it's utterly pointless.
The win2k service pack was likely filling the role of "a big file from a fast CDN," for the purposes of testing the machine's connection.
I assumed it was something he'd seen as a way to sortof-conceal a directory, since it's both hidden and looks a lot like the [dot] directory that you'd expect to find everywhere.