GNU bug report logs - #34700
rm refuses to remove files owned by the user, even in force mode

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From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: 34700 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#34700: rm refuses to remove files owned by the user, even in force mode
Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2019 12:31:41 -0700

Erik Auerswald wrote:
> Bob Proulx wrote:
> > However regardless of intentions and design if one really wants to
> > smash it then this is easily scripted.  No code modifications are
> > needed.
> > 
> >    #!/bin/sh
> >    chmod -R u+w $1
> >    rm -rf $1
> 
> To everyone considering the above "script": do not use it! It does not even
> guard against spaces in file names. Besides being dangerously buggy, it does
> not even solve the problem of deleting a file inside a read-only directory.

Obviously I typed that in extemporaneously on the spur of the moment.
I should have put an "untested" tag upon it.

But regardless of that it does not change the fact that the entire
purpose of read-only directories is to prevent removing and renaming
of files within them.

> I would suggest people with specific directories that inhibit deletion of
> files inside although they should not (e.g. a "cache") to deliberatly change
> the permissions of said directories prior to deleting files inside. Using a
> script like the above, even without the basic mistakes in the script, is
> quite dangerous.

I don't think we are in disagreement here.

Bob

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