wipeclean

Clear the terminal screen

$ wipeclean

$ wipeclean --speed [speed]

There is no standard command synopsis for 'wipeclean', as it is not a predefined, installable utility on most Linux systems. Any existing 'wipeclean' might be a custom script with its own unique syntax and usage.

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    As 'wipeclean' is not a standard command, there are no predefined parameters or options. Any custom script named 'wipeclean' would define its own set of arguments and behavior.

The term 'wipeclean' is not associated with a standard, universally available command within most Linux distributions. Unlike common utilities such as shred, wipe, or rm with specific options, a dedicated 'wipeclean' executable is not typically pre-installed or part of core system packages.

Instead, 'wipeclean' often refers to the concept of securely erasing data or cleaning up temporary files and logs, commonly achieved through custom shell scripts written by users or system administrators. These scripts might combine various standard Linux tools like shred (for files), dd (for disks/partitions), rm (for deletion), sync, fstrim (for SSDs), or find (for locating files to delete) to perform thorough cleanup or secure data destruction.

The primary caveat is that 'wipeclean' is not a standard, portable command. Its existence and functionality depend entirely on whether a user or system administrator has created a custom script with that name. Therefore, its behavior, options, and effectiveness can vary wildly or be entirely absent on different systems. Relying on a non-standard command like this for critical data erasure is not recommended without thoroughly understanding its underlying implementation and source code.

A hypothetical custom wipeclean script might look like this, combining common utilities to achieve a cleanup effect:

#!/bin/bash
# Simple example of a custom wipeclean script for temporary files and logs

echo "Starting system cleanup..."

# Securely delete user's temporary files
find /tmp/$USER -type f -exec shred -z -u {} \;

# Clean system-wide temporary directories
sudo rm -rf /var/tmp/* /tmp/*

# Synchronize file system changes to disk
sync

# Trim unallocated blocks on SSDs (if applicable and supported by fstrim)
# Note: fstrim requires root privileges and is specific to SSDs
if command -v fstrim &> /dev/null; then
sudo fstrim -av
fi

echo "Cleanup complete."

This example illustrates how a custom script might combine existing utilities to achieve a 'wipeclean' effect, highlighting that its capabilities are entirely defined by its creator.

There is no official or widely documented development history for a standard 'wipeclean' command in Linux. The term likely emerged informally as a descriptive way for users to name their personal scripts designed for system cleanup or secure data deletion.

shred(1), wipe(1), rm(1), dd(1), fstrim(8), find(1), sync(1)