[tyingq]

It's confusing altogether. For example, that's not how /bin/mv (usually) works.

[ulysses]

Usually, that's because /bin/mv is just changing a link to the file, not moving the file itself. In cases where it's actually moving the file -- say across a file system boundary -- it does copy the file and then delete the old version.

[the_duke]

I reckon it was meant in the context of compaction.