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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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In case the orginal thread crashes your browser, here is an OS X-safe version of the post.
Just heard this one on the way to work this morning (TWIT podcast).
If you type "F i l e : / / /" (without the spaces) into any OS X application, it will (probably) crash the application. There is evidently a background service which interprets the string as a reference to an external file (File:// is the beginning of a file reference, the third / causes it to break).
The problem is exaserbated by the fact that apps like the OS X IM client will crash if somebody sends you the text. If you then restart the client, it will crash, because the text is in the chat history, which gets reloaded. You need to manually clear / delete the log, before restarting the IM client. Twitter clients are also affected, for example, as are word processors, text editor etc.
The problem also affects Safari (and other web browsers?).
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:18 am |
 
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HeatherKay
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:13 pm
Posts: 7262
Location: Here, but not all there.
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Well, it didn't crash my browser.  _________________My Flickr | Snaptophobic BloggageHeather Kay: modelling details that matter. "Let my windows be open to receive new ideas but let me also be strong enough not to be blown away by them." - Mahatma Gandhi.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:41 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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That's a relief. Have you tried entering it in the address bar? I wasn't sure whether it being on a web page would cause a problem, hence adding this version of the thread as an afterthought.
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:48 am |
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HeatherKay
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:13 pm
Posts: 7262
Location: Here, but not all there.
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No. When I'm feeling playful, I'll have a bash.  Just tried it in Safari, and it opened a top level Finder window. I guess it's supposed to do that. Bear in mind I'm stuck on 10.7 Lion, so it might only affect the newer cat. _________________My Flickr | Snaptophobic BloggageHeather Kay: modelling details that matter. "Let my windows be open to receive new ideas but let me also be strong enough not to be blown away by them." - Mahatma Gandhi.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:51 am |
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timark_uk
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:11 pm
Posts: 12143
Location: Belfast
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No issues using iOS either.
Mark
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:53 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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YouTube clickyIt doesn't affect iOS. It could be, that it is limited to Moutain Lion. Trying to find more information. Edit: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/ ... charactersConfirmed, it only affects Mountain Lion
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:02 am |
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timark_uk
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:11 pm
Posts: 12143
Location: Belfast
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It doesn't crash Firefox under Mountain Lion. Just brings up a full directory listing in the browser.
Mark
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:10 am |
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steve74
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:43 pm
Posts: 1798
Location: Manchester
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Fine here - on Lion 10.7
Will try my Macbook at home on 10.8 later
_________________
* Steve *
* Witty statement goes here *
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:21 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm
Posts: 17040
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Nope, seems to work as expected on my macbook air running 10.8.2 and Safari 6.0.2. Opens the 'root' of the file system (It isn't, but you know what I mean). Think you've been scammed Dave.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:37 am |
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ProfessorF
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 12030
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Same here. Which is kind of useful, really.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:48 am |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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Urg, as I said on the other thread:
I read that it's a bug specifically on one version of OSX (I forget which) and affected programs that used the system spell check. It was all over G+ yesterday.
Note the capital F is important. Basically the parser isn't case sensitive, but the OS is.
_________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:02 pm |
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ProfessorF
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 12030
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Nope, even with the capital letter, in Mountain Lion, all I'm generating is a handy short cut to my drives. I find it highly implausible that "Simply typing "File:" followed by three slash signs - which we won't recreate in full here, in deference to anyone who may be browsing on an Apple device - is enough to crash most software running on OS X Mountain Lion" (From - http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1297564/os-x-mountain-lion-bug-causing-application-crashes) Isn't this like saying you should never google Google?
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:04 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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Why do you find it implausible? The mechanism seems perfectly logical, and there's a lot of third party confirmations.
_________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:08 pm |
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ProfessorF
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 12030
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I've not found that many third party confirmations - although I have just managed to lock up Notes doing it. Word is unaffected, so is Safari, so is Firefox, Just doesn't seem like a probable issue - they're talking about it just being rendered on screen being enough to do it, not even in a text entry field.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:16 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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Word probably doesn't use whatever system text parser has the bug. It's a Microsoft product after all. A lot of apps underline links and make them clickable, even in text fields. That requires passing. Although another source suggests it's something to do with recognising date formats, which is also plausible sounding. http://openradar.appspot.com/13128709http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5154648http://www.neowin.net/news/crash-nearly ... 039file039http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software ... on-crasheshttp://thenextweb.com/shareables/2013/0 ... -your-mac/http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/03/8-character-osx-bug/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouCqTB-xpqoThe G+ thread had a couple of hundred replies too. I could keep going. Remember it only happens in some versions of Mountain Lion. Maybe you don't have that version; although you say it crashed Notes? _________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
Last edited by JJW009 on Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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| Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:29 pm |
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