Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: ln -f
Message-ID: <3873@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 10 Aug 90 20:19:01 GMT
References: <1056@undeed.UUCP> <3770@auspex.auspex.com> <1990Aug9.200735.5493@diku.dk>
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 9

>Why don't the versions of ln that you know of on 4.3 BSD and SunOS 4
>use the rename system call?

Because they're named "ln", not "mv".

"rename()" is *NOT* an atomic operation that removes the target and
makes an *additional* link from the source with the name of the target. 
It's an atomic operation that *renames* the source to the target, and if
it succeeds does *not* leave the source behind.