English Idiom in Unix: Directory Recursively

[Charles]

"Thorsten Kampe" <thorsten at thorstenkampe.de> wrote in message 
news:MPG.284834d227e3acd1989813 at news.individual.de...
>
> If someone has learned what a directory or folder is, you don't have to
> explain what "include sub-folders" means. Instead of creating a new
> mysterious term ("recursively delete"), you simply explain stuff by re-
> using an already existing term. It's just that simple.

I'm a native english speaker, and to me there is a difference between
"delete directory and sub-directories" (or folders and sub-folders if you
follow Microsoft's naming conventions) and "recursively delete". I know
english is very ambiguous, but to me "directory and sub-directories"
does not necessarily imply sub-directories of sub-directories and so
on, while "recursively delete" does carry the connotation of deleting the
sub-directories of sub-directories and sub-directories of sub-directories
of sub-directories and so on.


Charles