(cache)Why can non-empty directories not be deleted directly? [self-answered]

exerceo · Today, 02:57 AM

[This is a self-answered question. Just added for completeness.]

Deletion works by unlinking a file from the file system tree and marking the space it occupied as unused. If a directory was unlinked from the file system without deleting its contents first, the space occupied by those files would not be made free, so it would waste space.

This is why a non-empty directory can't just be deleted in a single operation.

why_bother · Today, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exerceo

[This is a self-answered question. Just added for completeness.]

Deletion works by unlinking a file from the file system tree and marking the space it occupied as unused. If a directory was unlinked from the file system without deleting its contents first, the space occupied by those files would not be made free, so it would waste space.

This is why a non-empty directory can't just be deleted in a single operation.

While as far as I know you're correct; I don't think this is the right place to be posting questions that you've already answered. I think this should be posted maybe in your blog or maybe the "Linux Tutorials" forum instead of here.

exerceo · Today, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by why_bother

While as far as I know you're correct; I don't think this is the right place to be posting questions that you've already answered. I think this should be posted maybe in your blog or maybe the "Linux Tutorials" forum instead of here.

Blogs are not indexed by search engines because they can only be seen while logged in. And it is not exactly a tutorial either. It is a technical explanation for a behaviour.