Deletion

From Free net encyclopedia

For other uses, see Delete.

Deletion refers to the process of seamlessly transforming information into a form where it is no longer accessible by agents that would normally use it and furthermore makes it seem like the information never existed.

It should be noted that deletion does not necessarily destroy the data completely. For example, file deletion is usually achieved by removing metadata structures (like inodes) describing the file from the file system, without destroying the contents of the file, which remain in the same physical location on the disk until it is overwritten by newer files. Similarly, memory deallocation does not usually destroy its contents and can be read through a broken pointer until the memory is overwritten (or the memory page is removed from the process' address space).

Sometimes information that appears deleted for one group of agents is not necessarily such for another; a good example is article deletion in wikis, which is usually a reversible process: "deleted" articles are simply hidden for the general public, but can still be viewed and restored ("undeleted") by administrators.

Deletion is distinct from data loss; both cause removal of information, but deletion is a voluntary action, while data loss results in data becoming unreadable as a result of an error.

In popular culture

• In the Homestar Runner Flash cartoon series, deletion is a running gag; more specifically, the character Strong Bad regularly deletes unwanted emails, especially intolerant for emails asking how he types with boxing gloves on; this fact, and the way the emails are deleted, were themselves parodied in one cartoon, with the parody becoming an Internet meme (see BALEETED!).