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Mac OS X 10.2.x Disables Modifier Keys?

drunkToaster writes " Adobe's support pages note that Mac OS X 10.2.x fails to re-enable modifier keys after an authentication session. The keys are disabled during the user/password dance as a security measure. Adobe explains a workaround for the problem which drastically effects many of its applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc)." This makes no sense to me; I authenticate to various servers etc. all day long, and never have problems with modifier keys. The Adobe explanation seems wholly inadequate.

2 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. They're on crack by Ydna · · Score: 5, Interesting
    When you activate an authentication process in Mac OS X (for example, you enter a password, access an SMB server, or allow access to password-protected volumes via the system preferences), the operating system switches to a secure input mode and disables the Shift and Option keys and the spacebar (also called modifier keys). Disabling these keys prevents other network connections from accessing the keyboard input stream and compromising security.

    (emphasis mine)

    If the password dialog caused the shift key to be disabled, how the heck am I able to log in with my mixed-case password, huh? I use my Mac OS X constantly and I've never run into any problem that looks remotely like this. They're on crack.

    --

    "The great thing about multitasking is that several things can go wrong at once." -me

  2. Re:GetCurrentModifierKeys() by WatertonMan · · Score: 2, Interesting
    It would seem like this would be a very easy bug to fix and distribute with a software update. If they had a fix for a seldom used SSH feature why not this? (Which appears to affect a large number of people) I'd expect to see an update over the next few days.

    When did Apple acknowledge this bug?