zforce

Add a .gz extension to the supplied Gzip files (Note: Other files are ignored)

$ zforce [path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...]

zforce file...

file...
    Specifies the files or directories to be forcefully removed.

The zforce command is designed to forcefully remove files and directories. It overcomes write protections on files, essentially making them writable before deleting them. This can be helpful when a file has permissions that prevent deletion, but the user has root privileges (or sufficient permissions via sudo).

It is crucial to exercise extreme caution when using zforce because it bypasses standard permission checks. This means that you can easily delete important system files if you aren't careful. It's generally recommended to explore standard methods of changing permissions (e.g., chmod, chown) before resorting to zforce. The command is particularly useful in situations where files are locked or have restrictive permissions due to unforeseen circumstances or system errors.

Using zforce bypasses normal safety mechanisms and can lead to accidental data loss or system instability if used improperly. Double-check the target files before execution.

zforce often modifies the file permissions to 777 (read, write, and execute permissions for everyone) before unlinking/removing. This allows for the deletion of even highly protected files, given the user has sufficient privileges. Use this command only when standard 'rm' commands fail due to permissions problems. Ensure you understand why the file's permissions are set the way they are before deleting it.

rm(1), chmod(1), chown(1), unlink(1)