Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Ben Finney Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: Why doesn't os.remove work on directories? Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2015 16:02:55 +1100 Lines: 33 Message-ID: References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de ts0/BB4bA02ratIk0ExVPQmdZNHPtqw0/2qZm7hLNqJQ== Cancel-Lock: sha1:+HTvEYTsjJLg0lSu/thONH0bD08= Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.006 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'raises': 0.07; 'implemented,': 0.09; 'oserror': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:Why': 0.09; 'python': 0.10; 'argument)': 0.16; 'behaviour.': 0.16; 'decision?': 0.16; 'posix': 0.16; 'rationale': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'surprising': 0.16; 'documented': 0.18; 'implementing': 0.18; 'amounts': 0.22; 'function,': 0.22; 'implemented': 0.24; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.26; 'header:X -Complaints-To:1': 0.26; 'function': 0.28; 'this.': 0.28; 'behaviour': 0.29; 'code': 0.30; 'anyone': 0.32; 'raising': 0.33; 'instead': 0.36; 'there': 0.36; 'subject:work': 0.36; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'expect': 0.37; 'received:org': 0.37; 'no,': 0.38; 'files': 0.38; 'why': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'leading': 0.61; 'our': 0.64; 'concerns': 0.66; 'skip:\xe2 10': 0.70; '8bit%:40': 0.72; 'contrary': 0.72; '8bit%:45': 0.84; '_o__)': 0.84; 'necessity': 0.84; 'received:125': 0.84; '\xe2\x80\x9cthis': 0.84 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: jigong.madmonks.org X-Public-Key-ID: 0xAC128405 X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 517C F14B B2F3 98B0 CB35 4855 B8B2 4C06 AC12 8405 X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-pubkey.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:100761 Random832 writes: > This is surprising to anyone accustomed to the POSIX C remove > function, which can remove either files or directories. Is there > any known rationale for this decision? No, I don't know a rationale for implementing it this way. I expect the explanation will be “mere historical accident”. My evidence-free reconstruction of the events leading to the current state of play: 1. ‘os.unlink’ implemented, using C ‘unlink(3)’. Because ‘unlink(2)’ on a directory will cause an error, Python raises OSError for this. 2. ‘os.remove’ implemented; “This is identical to the unlink() function documented below.”. 3. Backward compatibility concerns (existing code might depend on ‘os.remove’ raising OSError for a directory argument) justify keeping the existing behaviour. What you're looking for amounts to “why was ‘os.remove’ implemented as a synonym of ‘unlink(3)’ instead of ‘remove(3)’?”. I don't know why that behaviour was chosen, and I consider it a wart. -- \ “… no testimony can be admitted which is contrary to reason; | `\ reason is founded on the evidence of our senses.” —Percy Bysshe | _o__) Shelley, _The Necessity of Atheism_, 1811 | Ben Finney