WYNTK: UNIX System Admininistrator

Clean up your directories occasionally (or when you get a warning).

If you get a message from your system administrator to clean out your home directory, how do you think about what to erase?

First of all, look for the big space hogs that make the most difference. Do you really still need that PostScript file? Do you need to keep that GIF file of Calvin and Hobbes? Do you still need all seven parts to the rec.pets.dogs FAQ list?

Then there are the little files. No, they don’t take up a lot of space, but removing (or combining) them will make it easier to find things in your directory. Do you need to hold onto that to-do list from last April? Do you need to keep that copy of a pumpkin pie recipe that didn’t come out that well? Do you still want that advertisement from someone selling a washing machine that you took off the ne.forsale newsgroup last month?

Look for files that are clearly temporary files. In fact, you might use a few naming conventions to make it easier for you to find files that you can remove. For example, I always name files tmp or foo when I know I won’t need them for more than a few minutes.

Some sites deal with disk space issues by enforcing disk quotas on their users. If your site uses disk quotas, then you are restricted to a specified amount of disk space on your home directory. You can see how much space you have allotted (and how much you’ve used up) using the quota command. Under disk quotas, conserving disk space isn’t a matter of being a good citizen, it’s ...