rm(1)                                                       rm(1)



     NAME
          rm, rmdir - remove files or directories

     SYNOPSIS
          rm [-f] [-i] [-r] file...

          rmdir dir...

     DESCRIPTION
          rm removes the entries for one or more files from a directo-
          ry.  If an entry was the last link to the file, the file is
          destroyed.  Removal of a file requires write permission in
          its directory, but neither read nor write permission on the
          file itself.

          If a file has no write permission and the standard input is
          a terminal, its permissions are printed and a line is read
          from the standard input.  If that line begins with y, the
          file is deleted, otherwise the file remains.  No questions
          are asked when the -f flag option is given or if the stan-
          dard input is not a terminal.  The -f flag option also
          prevents all error messages from being printed.

          If a designated file is a directory, an error comment is
          printed unless the optional argument -r has been used.  In
          that case, rm recursively deletes the entire contents of the
          specified directory, and the directory itself.

          If the -i (interactive) flag option is in effect, rm asks
          whether to delete each file, and, under -r, whether to exam-
          ine each directory.

          rmdir removes entries for the named directories, which must
          be empty.

     EXAMPLES
             rm -rf dirname

          will remove the entire contents of the named directory and
          all subdirectories, and finally the directory itself, with
          no questions asked.

     FILES
          /bin/rm
          /bin/rmdir

     SEE ALSO
          mkdir(1), unlink(2).

     DIAGNOSTICS
          Generally self-explanatory.  It is forbidden to remove the
          file .. merely to avoid the antisocial consequences of inad-



     April, 1990                                                     1

     rm(1)                                                       rm(1)



          vertently doing something like:

             rm -r .*




















































     2                                                     April, 1990