What is the difference between the read-only attribute and the access control list read-only flag on Windows?

Question

I'm looking for a technical answer, not a general answer, pertaining to how Windows actually handles these properties. For example, there are some programs that recognize the read-only attribute and others that completely ignore it.

Answer 1

A program can not ignore the read-only attribute. Simply put, the file system, the underlying mechanic, will not let you modify or delete a file if the read-only attribute is set. Now, you say there are programs that appear to "ignore" this attribute, and I have seen this in a few programs. However, it only appears to ignore this flag. In reality, as long as the program is launched with sufficient file system privileges by the user, or a run-as command, the program can detect, remove, and reset the read-only attribute while working on the file. Also, in order to modify the read-only attribute, you must have sufficient modify/write privileges (ACL) to modify the file.