On Mon, Jul 03, 2000 at 05:28:56PM -0700, Mike & Tracy Holt wrote:
> I would like to add a question here if I may; I'm used to Windows where the
> 'temp' directory is for temporary stuff and should be dumped periodically.
> What is the /tmp directory in *nix used for and why can't I delete it's
> contents?
The /tmp directory (and others located around the system) are indeed for
temporaty files. Well behaved programs should remove their own temporary
files, but they don't all do so, and if a program crashes it can leave its
temporary files behind.
You can delete only the files you have permission to delete, which is to
say only the files you made or which have been set to allow other users to
delete. Unix security again. Root can delete anything anywhere, one of
many reasons not to use the root account for day-to-day stuff.
--
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No windows were crashed in the making of this email.
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