diff --git a/IPython/core/display.py b/IPython/core/display.py
index 32ffb11..724d164 100644
--- a/IPython/core/display.py
+++ b/IPython/core/display.py
@@ -657,35 +657,15 @@ class Image(DisplayObject):
         return unicode(s.split('.')[-1].lower())
 
 
-def clear_output(stdout=True, stderr=True, other=True):
-    """Clear the output of the current cell receiving output.
-
-    Optionally, each of stdout/stderr or other non-stream data (e.g. anything
-    produced by display()) can be excluded from the clear event.
-
-    By default, everything is cleared.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    stdout : bool [default: True]
-        Whether to clear stdout.
-    stderr : bool [default: True]
-        Whether to clear stderr.
-    other : bool [default: True]
-        Whether to clear everything else that is not stdout/stderr
-        (e.g. figures,images,HTML, any result of display()).
-    """
+def clear_output():
+    """Clear the output of the current cell receiving output."""
     from IPython.core.interactiveshell import InteractiveShell
     if InteractiveShell.initialized():
-        InteractiveShell.instance().display_pub.clear_output(
-            stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, other=other,
-        )
+        InteractiveShell.instance().display_pub.clear_output()
     else:
         from IPython.utils import io
-        if stdout:
-            print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stdout, end='')
-            io.stdout.flush()
-        if stderr:
-            print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stderr, end='')
-            io.stderr.flush()
+        print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stdout, end='')
+        io.stdout.flush()
+        print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stderr, end='')
+        io.stderr.flush()
 
diff --git a/IPython/core/displaypub.py b/IPython/core/displaypub.py
index 254a5d5..f351730 100644
--- a/IPython/core/displaypub.py
+++ b/IPython/core/displaypub.py
@@ -108,14 +108,12 @@ class DisplayPublisher(Configurable):
         if 'text/plain' in data:
             print(data['text/plain'], file=io.stdout)
 
-    def clear_output(self, stdout=True, stderr=True, other=True):
+    def clear_output(self):
         """Clear the output of the cell receiving output."""
-        if stdout:
-            print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stdout, end='')
-            io.stdout.flush()
-        if stderr:
-            print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stderr, end='')
-            io.stderr.flush()
+        print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stdout, end='')
+        io.stdout.flush()
+        print('\033[2K\r', file=io.stderr, end='')
+        io.stderr.flush()
 
 
 class CapturingDisplayPublisher(DisplayPublisher):
@@ -125,8 +123,8 @@ class CapturingDisplayPublisher(DisplayPublisher):
     def publish(self, source, data, metadata=None):
         self.outputs.append((source, data, metadata))
     
-    def clear_output(self, stdout=True, stderr=True, other=True):
-        super(CapturingDisplayPublisher, self).clear_output(stdout, stderr, other)
+    def clear_output(self):
+        super(CapturingDisplayPublisher, self).clear_output()
         if other:
             # empty the list, *do not* reassign a new list
             del self.outputs[:]
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
index 492b902..3ccc9f8 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
      * @method execute
      */
     CodeCell.prototype.execute = function () {
-        this.output_area.clear_output(true, true, true);
+        this.output_area.clear_output();
         this.set_input_prompt('*');
         this.element.addClass("running");
         var callbacks = {
@@ -386,8 +386,8 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
     };
 
 
-    CodeCell.prototype.clear_output = function (stdout, stderr, other) {
-        this.output_area.clear_output(stdout, stderr, other);
+    CodeCell.prototype.clear_output = function () {
+        this.output_area.clear_output();
     };
 
 
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/notebook.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/notebook.js
index e4be4dd..88891ac 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/notebook.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/notebook.js
@@ -1339,7 +1339,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         var cells = this.get_cells();
         for (var i=0; i<ncells; i++) {
             if (cells[i] instanceof IPython.CodeCell) {
-                cells[i].clear_output(true,true,true);
+                cells[i].clear_output();
                 // Make all In[] prompts blank, as well
                 // TODO: make this configurable (via checkbox?)
                 cells[i].set_input_prompt();
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/outputarea.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/outputarea.js
index 72140ad..d6b6fd0 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/outputarea.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/outputarea.js
@@ -605,52 +605,21 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
 
 
     OutputArea.prototype.handle_clear_output = function (content) {
-        this.clear_output(content.stdout, content.stderr, content.other);
+        this.clear_output();
     };
 
 
-    OutputArea.prototype.clear_output = function (stdout, stderr, other) {
-        var output_div = this.element;
-
+    OutputArea.prototype.clear_output = function() {
+        
         // Fix the output div's height
-        var height = output_div.height();
-        output_div.height(height);
+        var height = this.element.height();
+        this.element.height(height);
 
-        if (stdout && stderr && other){
-            // clear all, no need for logic
-            output_div.html("");
-            this.outputs = [];
-            this.unscroll_area();
-            return;
-        }
-        // remove html output
-        // each output_subarea that has an identifying class is in an output_area
-        // which is the element to be removed.
-        if (stdout) {
-            output_div.find("div.output_stdout").parent().remove();
-        }
-        if (stderr) {
-            output_div.find("div.output_stderr").parent().remove();
-        }
-        if (other) {
-            output_div.find("div.output_subarea").not("div.output_stderr").not("div.output_stdout").parent().remove();
-        }
+        // clear all, no need for logic
+        this.element.html("");
+        this.outputs = [];
         this.unscroll_area();
-        
-        // remove cleared outputs from JSON list:
-        for (var i = this.outputs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-            var out = this.outputs[i];
-            var output_type = out.output_type;
-            if (output_type == "display_data" && other) {
-                this.outputs.splice(i,1);
-            } else if (output_type == "stream") {
-                if (stdout && out.stream == "stdout") {
-                    this.outputs.splice(i,1);
-                } else if (stderr && out.stream == "stderr") {
-                    this.outputs.splice(i,1);
-                }
-            }
-        }
+        return;
     };
 
 
diff --git a/IPython/kernel/zmq/zmqshell.py b/IPython/kernel/zmq/zmqshell.py
index 27d8113..5b0bfb0 100644
--- a/IPython/kernel/zmq/zmqshell.py
+++ b/IPython/kernel/zmq/zmqshell.py
@@ -86,14 +86,11 @@ class ZMQDisplayPublisher(DisplayPublisher):
             parent=self.parent_header, ident=self.topic,
         )
 
-    def clear_output(self, stdout=True, stderr=True, other=True):
-        content = dict(stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, other=other)
-        
-        if stdout:
-            print('\r', file=sys.stdout, end='')
-        if stderr:
-            print('\r', file=sys.stderr, end='')
-        
+    def clear_output(self):
+        content = {}
+
+        print('\r', file=sys.stdout, end='')
+        print('\r', file=sys.stderr, end='')
         self._flush_streams()
         
         self.session.send(
diff --git a/examples/widgets/directview/directview.js b/examples/widgets/directview/directview.js
index 7eed2ad..37c6ab4 100644
--- a/examples/widgets/directview/directview.js
+++ b/examples/widgets/directview/directview.js
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ DirectViewWidget.prototype.set_kernel = function (kernel) {
 
 
 DirectViewWidget.prototype.execute = function () {
-    this.output_area.clear_output(true, true, true);
+    this.output_area.clear_output();
     this.element.addClass("running");
     var callbacks = {
         'execute_reply': $.proxy(this._handle_execute_reply, this),