Hi Jasen!

 JB> if you want to try it use chroot or boot a floppy.
Let's try this on a virtual UML host. :)

root{at}tiny ~ # rm -rf /
rm: unable to remove `/dev/pts': Device or resource busy
rm: unable to remove `/dev': Directory not empty
rm: unable to remove `/proc/mm': Operation not permitted
[ lots of these skipped ]
rm: unable to remove `/sys': Device or resource busy
rm: unable to remove `/': Device or resource busy
root{at}tiny ~ # ls /  
-bash: ls: command not found
root{at}tiny ~ # echo /*                                                          
/dev /proc /sys
root{at}tiny ~ # echo /dev/*                                                      
/dev/pts

So everything except the special filesystems mounted on /proc, /sys,
and /dev/pts gets deleted.

Only the shell and whatever daemons were running at that point remain, and
if you exit the shell that rm was run from, even the shell is gone.

Folks, don't try this at home. ;)

Ciao
Pascal

--- Msged/LNX 6.1.1