Subject: Re: kern/1043: unlink(2) should not let superuser remove directories
To: None <jtk@kolvir.blrc.ma.us>
From: Christoph Badura <bad@flatlin.ka.sub.org>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 05/19/1995 16:12:00
John Kohl writes:
>In my 10 years of using UNIX or UNIX-like systems, every time root has
>unlinked a directory it has been accidental or inadvertent, and resulted
>in much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair.  I have _never_ had
>occasion to intentionally unlink a directory with unlink(2).

Quite a couple of years ago I've routinely linked and unlinked
directories because the system didn't have symlinks.  Of course, I did
that in a manner that didn't cause file system corruption.  I've never
been burned by the ability to unlink directories.

A couple of weeks ago I had to corrupted directories that I was able
to fix most easily with unlinking and linking directories.  With fsdb
I'm almost for certain would have messed them up beyond repair.

-- 
Christoph Badura	bad@flatlin.ka.sub.org		+49 721 606137

Es genuegt nicht, keine Gedanken zu haben;
man muss auch unfaehig sein, sie auszudruecken.  - Karl Kraus