Dev-null: Difference between revisions
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{{dablink|The formal name of this article is /dev/null, but has been renamed due to technical limitations of the MediaWiki system.}} | {{dablink|The formal name of this article is /dev/null, but has been renamed due to technical limitations of the MediaWiki system.}} | ||
In [[Unix]] (and Unix-like) operating systems, '''/dev/null''' is a character [[device file]] which | In [[Unix]] (and Unix-like) operating systems, '''/dev/null''' is a character [[device file]] which discards all data written to it, and returns nothing when read from, except the [[EOF|End of File]] (EOF) character. Because it is located in the /dev, or device, directory, it is commonly known as the 'null device.' Synonyms include the 'black hole' and the 'bit bucket.'<ref name="LSAG">{{cite web | ||
| url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_admin/x822.html | | url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_admin/x822.html | ||
| title="The Linux System Administrator's Guide, Chapter 5" | | title="The Linux System Administrator's Guide, Chapter 5" | ||
Revision as of 23:03, 4 September 2008
In Unix (and Unix-like) operating systems, /dev/null is a character device file which discards all data written to it, and returns nothing when read from, except the End of File (EOF) character. Because it is located in the /dev, or device, directory, it is commonly known as the 'null device.' Synonyms include the 'black hole' and the 'bit bucket.'[1] The null device is part of the standard Unix directory structure
It is commonly used to not show the output of programs (when they are run in scripts),[1] and has oft been used in jokes and puns. For instance, the original BSD Daemon, drawn by Phil Foglio, featured a demon standing near a 'bit bucket.' Another usage would be on an Internet forum or IRC, when someone says something to the effect "Flames will be redirected to /dev/null."
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Linux System Administrator's Guide, Chapter 5" (Retrieved 2007-04-15).