Subject: bug#12339: Bug: rm -fr . doesn't dir depth first deletion yet it is documented to do so.

From: Linda Walsh <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:18:58 -0700

Eric Blake wrote:
...codeing stuff...

Thanks for the advice... will take it appreciatively, however
it was a few hours effort in unfamiliar code.

I certainly wouldn't write NEWS/CHANGES if I didn't have an initial
agreement that it would go in.

More to the point.   Others are objecting, (I'm willing to admit
some reasonability in the objection) to changing the default behavior.

I proposed adding a ENV var that would need to be specified to get
the new behavior.   Thus it *would not* be changing default behavior.

Does everyone get that... as that's been offered as a an acceptable
compromise.

Vs. the option of adding it as a long option -- that's pushing it
too far -- and doesn't work for me. as it's easier for me to maintain
and distribute a patch to rm or my own version than it is to have it
as a long option.  Reason:  doing it in rm OR as an ENV var does it
in one place and all my code/interactivity benefits .   Doing it in
a long option -- must be paid for on each use.  The cost doesn't
work for me nor would it work for anyone considering cost v. benefit.