NAME

null — the null device

DESCRIPTION

The null device accepts and reads data as any ordinary (and willing) file, but throws it away. The length of the null device is always zero.

FILES

/dev/null

 

SEE ALSO

zero(4)

HISTORY

null first appeared in Version 4 AT&T UNIX as an empty file, /dev/null, which returned end of file when being read from. An implementation which could also be written to first appeared in Version 5 AT&T UNIX.