rm --clear-directory /home/me/another_dir

[Bill Moran]

In response to deeptech71 at gmail.com:

> Pieter de Goeje wrote:
> > On Wednesday 11 April 2007, deeptech71 at gmail.com wrote:
> >> Is there a way to clear a directory with such a command (keeping the owner
> >> and permissions of the folder)?
> >>
> >> Yes there are the obvious ones:
> >> cd /home/me/another_dir && rm *
> >> rm /home/me/another_dir/* // if cant traverse here
> >>
> >> But something that doesn't rely on the shell.
> > cd /some/dir && find . -delete
> > 
> > Cheers, Pieter
> > 
> 
> Well, IMO, for aesthetical and logical purposes, /some/dir should point to the 
> directory, and /some/dir/ should point to the inside of the directory (as in 
> copy INTO or FROM). So:
> 
> # cp /one /two/    // this copies dir one into dir two, so there will be a dir 
> named /one/two after this command
> 
> # cp /one/ /two/
> ==> Do you want to recursively overwrite contents of dir /two with the content 
> of dir /one ? [n] y
> 
> # cp /one /two
> ==> Do you want to recursively overwrite /two with /one ? [n] y
> 
> # cp /one/ /two
> cp: error - overwrite a dir with some other contents? WTF?
> 
> oh and of course:
> rm -R /dir    // removes dir
> rm -R /dir/    // clears dir
> 
> 
> How hard will it be to convince the developers to swich to this scheme? since 
> all scripts will have to be reworked...

All you have to do is change the POSIX standards and everyone will follow.

-- 
Bill Moran
http://www.potentialtech.com