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Why does FileZilla itterrate through each file in a folder and delete each one instead of just deleting the folder? I know this sounds like a simple question, and it probably has the simple answer that FTP doesn't delete folders, but I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on this issue.

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You've answered your own question - there's no concept in ftp of 'removing a directory and everything below it' with one command. Most FTP clients therefore iterate through every file one at a time, and then remove the parent directory.

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So what happens if you try to remove a directory with stuff in it? An error? – Arlen Beiler Jun 23 '11 at 12:56
Yes, depending on the FTP client you use, you'll get an error, or it'll iterate through everything and remove the files. Command line client error example -> ftp> rmdir todo / 550 todo: Do not specify an existing file. – EightBitTony Jun 23 '11 at 12:58
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