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Uninstalling Steam for Linux Can rm -rf Your /home Folder`

Posted by thesilviu on · 7 comments
Softpedia; By Silviu Stahie 		Mail this story
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Users have found out that Steam for Linux is capable of deleting the entire home directory under certain circumstances, which would present a major problem for users.

It's already a known fact that Steam for Linux is capable of losing the installed games if the right conditions are met, and this is not even something specific to the Linux platform. Now, a user has found out, the hard way, that the Steam for Linux client is also able to delete the Home directory or at least all the user-owned files in that folder.

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Comments (7)

Jeff91 ·
The bug doesn't just remove data in your home folder. It wipes all data on the drive that your current user has permission to remove.
Ridcully ·
I'm going to throw a very smelly dead cat into the arena......it's just something that occurred to me, and I am naive enough to ask the question: "Is this a true error, or a deliberate attempt to discredit Steam as gaming begins to shift over to Linux based software ?" Just asking and I am almost certainly seeing things where there are none......but.......
seatex ·
Ridcully - I was wondering the exact same thing. This seems to be more than just a bug or a QA oversight. It seems malevolent.
Jeff91 ·
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Was likely just lazy code that wasn't tested.

~Jeff
Ridcully ·
Jeff91....you could of course, be right......and I am seeing "monsters" where there are none. But an "all delete error" such as this appears to be is NOT, in my books, something to be explained by sheer stupidity. Dear heavens, I am NOT a programmer or developer, but even I know that a "recursive delete all" is sheer catastrophe on a Linux drive......I hear you Jeff91.....but I remain sceptical.
CFWhitman ·
Also, the title of the article is misleading. This actually only happens if you try to move your Steam folder and then run Steam afterward (which symlinks would normally allow you to do with most other programs).

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