File space allocation/deallocation under Unix (BSD4.x)

[Richard Caloggero]

     If you create a directory "d", then create a file "d/f" 1 megabyte
long (big), then "rm d/f", is it true that the space remains allocated
to directory "d" and cannot be garbage collected or otherwise reclaimed
until another file is created in directory "d" or "d" is deleted?  If this is true, why?
What good does it do to delete files, say, in your home directory
(if, for example, disk resources are low and you system administrator
  keeps hounding you to "clean up your directory")?



-- 
						-- Rich (rich at eddie.mit.edu).
	The circle is open, but unbroken.
	Merry meet, merry part,
	and merry meet again.