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’ bug fixed in Apple’s latest OS X developer release

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 · 6:49 pm · 22 Comments

Apple today released a new OS X build to AppleSeed (build 12D65) and the obscure, but nasty ‘File :///’ bug is no longer present, sources say.

So, no more instant application crashes.

And, yes, we know there’s an extra space in there, but we couldn’t type the real thing without crashing Safari!

It’s good to see Apple so quickly working on a fix for this weird little bug.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]

Categories: News

Tags: Apple Inc., AppleSeed, bug, bug fix, mac, Macintosh, OS X

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Comment Feed

22 Comments

Mark S.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 7:01 pm · Reply

I could’nt replicate the issue.
- M
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 7:08 pm · Reply
  
  Do have Mountain Lion?
- ecrabb
  
  Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 1:07 am · Reply
  
  I was trying it in the address bar, and it would just open the Finder to the desktop. So, I was posting to say I had 10.8 and couldn’t replicate, and in the process typed the phrase that shall not be typed in the comment box, and sure enough; instant spinning beach ball. Try it with a capital ‘F’.
- Derek Currie
  
  Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 1:22 pm · Reply
  
  The bug only worked in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. If you try it in 10.8.2 you’ll find that it ‘works’.
  
  I reported the repair over at the Sophos article last night:
  
  http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/02/06/anatomy-of-a-bug-how-mac-os-x-chokes-if-you-type-file/
  
  Paul Ducklin sent me a joyful message in reply.
Agent Provocateur

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 8:04 pm · Reply

Apple eternal betaware in Cookville.
- Weekend
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 9:04 pm · Reply
  
  Even Apple has it’s problems.
- M
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 9:13 pm · Reply
  
  I always think its funny when someone makes a big deal.. or trolls about little bugs in the Mac OS.. as if Windows is free of bugs.
  
  Hell… one could write a book on the useless error messages Windows spews out.. “please contact your system administrator..” I AM THE SYSTEM ADMIN!!! lol.
  - 8^þ
    
    Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 8:27 am · Reply
    
    Ah, you are the SysAdmin; so that explains why you talk to yourself so much!
    
    If I had to admin Windows, I’d be talking to myself all the time …
- h2a
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 9:30 pm · Reply
  
  yeah. Apple under Jobs never had any bugs.
- steveH
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 11:04 pm · Reply
  
  By AP’s standard, *everyone* produces “eternal betaware”.
  - Agent Provocateur
    
    Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 10:43 am · Reply
    
    Not true, there are plenty of good examples.
    
    Apple has not handled it’s growth well and the proof is in the eternal betaware they sell to the public.
    - Derek Currie
      
      Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 1:36 pm · Reply
      
      I’ve posted my POV elsewhere in this thread.
      
      But I will entirely agree that growing organizations lose track of their actual ‘organization’ and are continually in a state of repair. The horror of dealing with the staff at the iTunes and Mac App stores is a terrific example. I can also point to the messes created by Apple’s documentation scheme where the right hand rarely knows what the left hand is doing. The documents for AirPort Utility v5 and v6, after a clamoring of anger from users, still remain profoundly WRONG.
      
      There is no such thing as perfection. There are only varying levels of attempted perfection. Apple has NEVER been known for absolute perfection, seeing as that’s impossible. Apple just does things better than everyone else.
      
      Except for…
- Jim
  
  Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 3:29 am · Reply
  
  From the end user license that’s been around for decades, maybe even a decade before Tim Cook joined Apple:
  
  7.4 APPLE DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE APPLE SOFTWARE AND SERVICES, THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN, OR SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY, THE APPLE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF THE APPLE SOFTWARE OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT ANY SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE, THAT THE APPLE SOFTWARE OR SERVICES WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE OR OTHER THIRD PARTY SERVICES, OR THAT DEFECTS IN THE APPLE SOFTWARE OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED.
  7.5 YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE APPLE SOFTWARE AND SERVICES ARE NOT INTENDED OR SUITABLE FOR USE IN SITUATIONS OR ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE FAILURE OR TIME DELAYS OF, OR ERRORS OR INACCURACIES IN THE CONTENT, DATA OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY, THE APPLE SOFTWARE OR SERVICES COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, LIFE SUPPORT OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS.
  - leodavinci1
    
    Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 12:06 pm · Reply
    
    Every EULA has similar wording. I doubt there is a single piece of software written that doesn’t have it.
    
    I absolutely despise this particular wording in EULAs. EULAs are probably the most anti-consumer, bill-of-goods sold to people.
    
    Can you imagine any other everyday manufactured product coming with a notice that said something like this.
    
    Can you imagine Ford putting a sticker on new cars that said: FORD DOES NOT WARRANTY THAT YOU WILL ENJOY DRIVING YOUR NEW CAR, THAT THE CAR RADIO WILL WORK, THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL WORK, THAT THE CAR WILL GET YOU TO WORK ON TIME, OR THAT THE CAR WILL EVEN START.
    
    Other manufacturers give consumers warranties and/or guarantees… computer/software developers give us disclaimers.
- AAPLGuy
  
  Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 8:32 am · Reply
  
  Yes, show us the perfect software you’ve written
- Derek Currie
  
  Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 1:28 pm · Reply
  
  Apple is never perfect. They’re just better than everyone else.
  
  And I am inspired to quote myself:
  Modern coding is well beyond the comprehension of any one person.
  
  Most modern coding requires group development.
  IOW: Creation-By-Committee.
  
  As the old saying goes:
  No masterpiece was ever created by committee.
CMFJ

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 9:42 pm · Reply

“…obscure, but nasty…” I like it.

What’s worse, “File :///” or PC load letter?
- M
  
  Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 9:47 pm · Reply
  
  What made it nasty was it could shut down the console app if you played too much with the bug…otherwise ..it was just really obscure and had been around for a while until anyone noticed it
thethirdshoe

Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 12:42 am · Reply

File:///
Works OK on my iMac.
iphoneenvy

Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 6:55 am · Reply

Running 10.8.2. Every web browser I type it into crashes immediately. I actually find it amusing.
dave smith

Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 1:24 pm · Reply

It definitely crashed every app I tried it in. If you are typing it into safari and seeing the desktop you are most likely using a lowercase “f”. I did that the first time I tried it also.
developer launch

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - 10:14 am · Reply

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