[tahoe-dev] [tahoe-lafs] #776: users are confused by "tahoe rm"

[James A. Donald]

tahoe-lafs wrote:
  I do think this is basically a
 >  documentation bug rather than a problem with {{{tahoe
 >  rm}}}'s behaviour, though. (A "destroy" operation as
 >  described half-way down
 >  http://allmydata.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2009-Septemb
 >  er/002861.html and in
 >  http://allmydata.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2009-October
 >  /002957.html , in contrast, would act on files, not
 >  directory entries.)
 >
 >  How about having {{{rm}}} output a message such as
 >  "''n'' directory entries removed (rm does not delete
 >  files)."?

This is not going to add to user comprehension.  Brian's
explanation does add to user comprehension.

Brian:
: :	I've been teaching Irby unix.  I explained
: :	that he is in a room, and he can use the
: :	following spells: the "look and see" spell,
: :	which is performed with the magical
: :	incantation "ls", to see what is in the room,
: :	the "cross door" spell, incantation "cd" to
: :	exit the room through the door with the given
: :	sign on it, and the "vigorously interact"
: :	spell, incantation "vi" to pick up and use
: :	one of the scrolls that are lying around.
: :	Also he eventually learned the "copy" spell
: :	("cp").
: :
: :	Therefore, it has always been perfectly
: :	intuitive to Irby that rooms don't have signs
: :	on them -- doors do -- and that different
: :	doors can lead into the same room, and so on.
: :	:-)

It is an inherent problem with any implementation of
Zooko's triangle that the same GUID is apt to have
multiple nicknames and petnames in multiple contexts.
We handle this OK for humans, though it is a little bit
confusing.