English Idiom in Unix: Directory Recursively

[Thorsten Kampe]

* Charles (Thu, 26 May 2011 20:58:35 +1000)
> "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,

Are we playing word games here? You can easily improve my example to 
"delete directory and all sub-directories beneath". Or "delete directory 
and all sub-directories beneath and all content". Or "delete directory 
and all files and directories within".

> 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.

Sure. Because you already know what it means (someone has already 
translated it to you long time ago).

Did your mom tell you to "recursively clean up your room"?.

Does my file manager ask me "are you sure you want to recursively delete 
the folder?"? No, it asks 'are you sure you want to remove folder 
"folder name" and all its contents?'.

Thorsten