Month Of Apple Bugs: January 2007

[yellow]

I don't think a broken/fixed "life saving" additions to a car is an apt parallel to a bunch of bugs in an operating system.

It is my feeling that this is what Apple is doing, working to get 10.5 out the door and then worry about bugs in the OS that have been there all along. Right or wrong, it is no different than what hundreds of companies do every day.

 

[bousozoku]

-Diatribe

If the new yet-to-be-released-model-that-will-work-in-my-current-car-does, then yes.

They may well be folding the fixes into 10.5 while they still have uncompiled builds about.

It's ironic that you would say that when you have "never settle" in your signature.

I think the thing is that there is a degree of danger here. Thankfully, the chance of remote exploitation is somewhat low and the chance of local exploitation is lower, unless you want to hurt yourself.

I worry more about my computer being attacked than my airbag working. It still looks like Apple does not care, even if they are working on the fixes quietly.

 

[patrick0brien]

It's ironic that you would say that when you have "never settle" in your signature.

I think the thing is that there is a degree of danger here. Thankfully, the chance of remote exploitation is somewhat low and the chance of local exploitation is lower, unless you want to hurt yourself.

I worry more about my computer being attacked than my airbag working. It still looks like Apple does not care, even if they are working on the fixes quietly.

-bousozoku

I'm up to my neck in software developement. Bugs happen, and fixing them vs. enhancement vs. new development is always a balancing act because the trifecta of Project Management of Time, Money, and Resources always are limited. The question is where are the energies being put?

I don't think any of us armchair bug-pointers have any real basis for critiquing Apple on how they manage their bug-fix workflow, as we know nothing about it. For all we know, they have them fixed as far and are waiting for the end of the month to wrap the compile - or - they've tried to fix them and they're blowing up the builds.

We're wasting breath - or in this case, keystrokes.

As for the sig comment, there's no irony at all, because IMHO there's nothing better for my needs than Apple - and - a wise man once said "too much quality will ruin you". Meaning that 100% quality is impossible - and in trying to reach it, you will destroy yourself. It's a happy medium, and Apple does it best.

 

[Diatribe]

As for the sig comment, there's no irony at all, because IMHO there's nothing better for my needs than Apple - and - a wise man once said "too much quality will ruin you". Meaning that 100% quality is impossible - and in trying to reach it, you will destroy yourself. It's a happy medium, and Apple does it best.

I thought striving for perfection is what got Apple to where they are in the first place?

 

[Diatribe]

I guess they gave up. No bug yesterday...

 

[patrick0brien]

I thought striving for perfection is what got Apple to where they are in the first place?

-Diatribe

Well, I can't accurately divine what's going on behind closed doors, but I always got the feeling they wanted to be the best - not necessarily perfect.

 

[bousozoku]

-bousozoku

I'm up to my neck in software developement. Bugs happen, and fixing them vs. enhancement vs. new development is always a balancing act because the trifecta of Project Management of Time, Money, and Resources always are limited. The question is where are the energies being put?

I don't think any of us armchair bug-pointers have any real basis for critiquing Apple on how they manage their bug-fix workflow, as we know nothing about it. For all we know, they have them fixed as far and are waiting for the end of the month to wrap the compile - or - they've tried to fix them and they're blowing up the builds.

We're wasting breath - or in this case, keystrokes.

As for the sig comment, there's no irony at all, because IMHO there's nothing better for my needs than Apple - and - a wise man once said "too much quality will ruin you". Meaning that 100% quality is impossible - and in trying to reach it, you will destroy yourself. It's a happy medium, and Apple does it best.

Imagine someone decides to exploit one of the problems. He doesn't wait for a compilation of bugs to exploit. He takes one at a time.

It's nice that Apple wants the fixes in a neat package--that seems their way--but it's not helping us if someone decides to attack.

 

[patrick0brien]

Imagine someone decides to exploit one of the problems. He doesn't wait for a compilation of bugs to exploit. He takes one at a time.

It's nice that Apple wants the fixes in a neat package--that seems their way--but it's not helping us if someone decides to attack.

-bousozoku

That is always a risk, yes. And we have to live with it. And often a neat package is the best way to permamnently fix a bug (and not just patch it).

At least we have the comfort in knowing a few things: 1. they haven't found anything serious, and 2. most of what they have found - and have had to do with Apple (and not peripheral) have to be run locally.

I can live with that.

Though, I still have a fundamental problem of the histrionic method of these hackers in publishing the bugs. I still find that the height of hubris and irresponsibility.

 

[bousozoku]

-bousozoku

That is always a risk, yes. And we have to live with it. And often a neat package is the best way to permamnently fix a bug (and not just patch it).

At least we have the comfort in knowing a few things: 1. they haven't found anything serious, and 2. most of what they have found - and have had to do with Apple (and not peripheral) have to be run locally.

I can live with that.

Though, I still have a fundamental problem of the histrionic method of these hackers in publishing the bugs. I still find that the height of hubris and irresponsibility.

The hubris belongs to them and the irresponsibility belongs to Apple.

 

[coffey7]

What Macs don't have bugs, they are like the Titanic. Unsinkable.

 

[Doctor Q]

Apple enthusiasts and security researchers have been at odds since last August, when David Maynor and Jon Ellch claimed to have discovered a flaw that affected Apple’s wireless device drivers. They played a video at the Black Hat conference demonstrating how this flaw could be used to run unauthorized code on a MacBook.

However, their claims have been slammed because the demonstration used a third-party wireless card rather than the one that ships with the MacBook, and because the two hackers still have not published the code used in their attack.

Remember this story?

The details have finally been published.

There's a bit more behind-the-scenes info here.