How Can sfs Files Be Modified Since They Are Read Only?

[JusGellin]

This is from another topic that I thought needed its own topic.
It would be better if it were answered as its own topic.

I'm wondering the same thing.
This has to do with whitelisting on a running system.
This seems like it would be another useful thing to fully understand.

This is from:
Re: Can a Save Folder Be Cleaned Up of Deletions?
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... 95#p133295

@bigpup

Very interesting topic, however it has left me a bit confused so excuse my lack of knowledge.

My highlight in bold

the whitelist thing, is only on builtin programs and files, that are originally in a Puppy versions different sfs files.
The sfs files are read only.
If you delete or remove something in these sfs's, it is only given a .wh at the end of it's name, not really deleted.
To the operating file system they are no longer seen.
This is what Remove Builtin packages program does.

If these SFS files are read only then how can something be deleted or removed ?

Thanks

[fredx181]

This is from another topic that I thought needed its own topic.
It would be better if it were answered as its own topic.

I'm wondering the same thing.
This seems like it would be another useful thing to fully understand.

This is from:
Re: Can a Save Folder Be Cleaned Up of Deletions?
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... 95#p133295

@bigpup

Very interesting topic, however it has left me a bit confused so excuse my lack of knowledge.

My highlight in bold

the whitelist thing, is only on builtin programs and files, that are originally in a Puppy versions different sfs files.
The sfs files are read only.
If you delete or remove something in these sfs's, it is only given a .wh at the end of it's name, not really deleted.
To the operating file system they are no longer seen.
This is what Remove Builtin packages program does.

If these SFS files are read only then how can something be deleted or removed ?

Thanks

If you delete some file while running the system that is by origin part of one of the main SFS's and save changes, it will just be "masked" (.wh file (0 bytes) is created in save storage (or in some newer Puppies (e.g. Bookworm) it works with a "character device file").
So I think that's what @bigpup meant, not directly delete from the SFS, as, indeed, it is read-only.
EDIT: However SFS's can be modified, by extracting, change the contents and re-create again, but that's another subject, I think. (edit: as mentioned in next post by ozsouth).

[ozsouth]

@JusGellin - sfs updater here (is for general sfs): https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... 86#p128286