How to find hidden space wasting files?

[Matt Graham]

After a long battle with technology, Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> > Notice the change in my /home directory from available 2.5G
> > to 1.4G and back to 2.5G after rebooting again.
> That's commonly the sign of files being deleted but still existing because
> [a] running process has them open.  lsof can also help with this.

Yep, lsof is the place to start.  If something is unlink()ing a G of files, 
and still keeping them open, there may be a bug lurking somewhere.  It's 
typical for processes that need reasonably secure temp files to open() a file 
with O_RDWR, then unlink() it.  The file will hang around (occupying space if 
it's been written to) until it's close()d or the process exits.

If you're running KDE/GNOME, you might be able to get the same disk space 
bounce by logging out and logging back in.  The myriad of k* and g* processes 
that get started are not bug-free yet, unfortunately.

-- 
   We thank with brief thanksgiving / Whatever gods may be
   That no man lives forever, / That dead men rise up never,
   That even the weariest river / Winds somewhere safe to sea.
       --A. C. Swinburne, "The Garden of Proserpine"
There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see