[patch] rm can have undesired side-effects

[Freddie Cash]

On Monday 30 October 2006 01:17 pm, Mike Meyer wrote:
> In <45466902.5090603 at FreeBSD.org>, Doug Barton <dougb at FreeBSD.org> 
typed:
> > Simon L. Nielsen wrote:
> > > Personally I think rm should do what you ask it to do - if you ask
> > > it to overwrite a file which has multiple links, well... though
> > > luck.
> >
> > It's all well and good to say, "tough luck," but I don't think that's
> > what our users expect.
>
> I'm a user. It's what I expect. If I wanted an OS that protected me
> from myself, I wouldn't be running Unix. Please give me the rope I
> need to get the job done. If that happens to be enough that I can hang
> myself, and I sometimes do - well, I got what I asked for. When I want
> to be coddled, I'll run a different OS.

Isn't that what the -f option is for in every command?

By default, be conservative in what you do (error out with nice messages 
when in doubt).

If the user knows what they are doing then let them specify -f.
-- 
Freddie Cash
fcash at ocis.net