How can I delete a directory and its files?
 

I would like to delete a directory and all of its subdirectories and files in one command, can anyone tell me how to do this?

rm -rf <directory>

When you are root, make sure that there is no space between your slash and the directory:

rm -rf / <directory>

or bad things will happen.

I'd use

rm -rf <TAB>

for a list of options.

great warning :)

what does the f mean? r means to include all subfolders right?

Don't prompt, in other words, every file would go through and ask you if you are sure, this way, it will just remove it.

r means recursive
f stands for force

check out the man pages for more information. at the prompt, type:
man rm