Recommended hard drive diet? [Resolved, sorta]

[David Armour]

> > David Armour wrote:
> > >sudo du -h --max-depth=1 /   ...produces:      
> > >26G     /var
> > >sudo du -h --max-depth=1 /var
> > >26G     /var/backup
> > >... something doesn't seem to add up, and I'm 
> > >wondering what I should look for?
> > 
> > That seems to add up, roughly. Whats in your 
> > /var/backup directory that you can delete?

Erm...

> 
> 2006-04-21_15.14.00.588810.workhorse2.ful
> 2006-04-22_00.00.02.999397.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-04-23_00.00.02.663896.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-04-24_00.00.02.308743.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-04-25_00.00.11.886279.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-04-26_00.00.05.449434.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-04-27_00.00.03.134969.workhorse2.inc
> ...
> 2006-12-10_00.00.12.872727.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-12-11_00.00.12.252552.workhorse2.ful
> 2006-12-12_00.00.14.201826.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-12-13_00.00.11.748152.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-12-14_00.00.10.465844.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-12-15_00.00.12.046713.workhorse2.inc
> 2006-12-17_00.00.11.441749.workhorse2.inc
> 

... in other words, a few months' worth of backups of /home 
that home user, simple backup, or some on-board cron routine
had obligingly made and I'd promptly forgotten, never mind
transferred to cd, until I saw the listing in /var/backup. 
Eek!

As an admittedly lame defense, the /var/backup subdirectory 
was cleverly disguised and hidden behind a wall of permis-
sions, and didn't display its contents until I'd chown'd & 
chmod'd it into submission, and sent its precious cargo in
to the ether. 

But I also now have 20-plus gigs of manoeuvering room back 
in my grubby little hands, and a general and welcome reduc-
tion of my anxiety levels.

I'd like to thank Brian Fahrlander, Gary Knight, Clive 
Menzies, Trevor Nye, Cameron Hutchison, and Eberhard Roloff 
for assorted suggestions and encouragement.