Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mac OS X 10.2.x Disables Modifier Keys?

Posted by pudge on from the works-for-me dept.

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.

13 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. GetCurrentModifierKeys() by calumr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's only true if the application in question uses GetKeys() to determine the state of the modifier keys. In some recent posts to the mac-games-dev mailing list (many games still use this function) this was acknowledged by Apple as a known bug (#3149605).

    The proper way to do it is call GetCurrentModifierKeys(), as GetKeys() is one of the bits of rot that didn't get dropped when Apple moved to OS X.

    1. 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?

  2. 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

    1. Re:They're on crack by RalphBNumbers · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I believe they mean that they disable the pubilcaly accessible API for accessing the keyboard, and use their own private API to make it more difficult for another app to intercept your password.

      It sounds like a reasonable precaution.

      They just forgot to re-enable an semi-deprecated function for getting modifier keys afterwards. Sounds like a fairly minor bug, and I'm sure it'll be fixed in the next point release now that it's gotten coverage on /.

      --
      "The worst tyrannies were the ones where a governance required its own logic on every embedded node." - Vernor Vinge
    2. Re:They're on crack by jonjohnson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Disabling other applications ability to access the keyboard directly being DRM? It's called security. I don't see how in the heck you relate that to DRM. Seriously... you're on crack.

    3. Re:They're on crack by realgone · · Score: 2, Informative

      I use my Mac OS X constantly and I've never run into any problem that looks remotely like this. They're on crack.

      In defense of the howling crackheads -- erm, Adobe -- this bug has been a verifiable and hugely annoying problem among my agency's art directors for a while now. The option and shift keys -- used in Illustrator for drag-copying and constraining to angles, respectively -- would stop responding at random times, requiring a full log out to clear things up again. (Judging from the technote, the fact that we often need to access SMB servers during the day might have something to do with it.)

      Frustrating in the middle of a deadline push, to say the least...

  3. Re:Effect or Affect? by jonjohnson · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you're asking, affect ;)

  4. Happened to me yesterday by presearch · · Score: 2, Informative

    I was reinstalling 10.2.4 on a Rev A iBook and as I was rolling up the various
    updates to get things current, I had to authenticate several times. I've got
    some punctuation in my password and suddenly it was rejecting my pass.
    I thought it was a hardware problem with the keyboard. I finally figured out
    what happened, rebooted, and things started working ok again.

  5. Ah, so SMB is to blame by Brendor · · Score: 5, Informative
    My friend, a fellow designer, has been complaining about this problem on his work machine for quite a while. It only affected me very rarely. This is odd because i have the same quicksilver g4 at home as he has at work. The key difference would seem that he connects to SMB/Samba servers daily, which I never connect to.

    And for those of you questioning the validity of this issue . . as realgone mentioned, option and shift are vital to successful use of Adobe design products. Option allows you to de-select items and subtract from the currently selected pixel area while shift allows you to select additional items and and additional pixels. Also option is used to define the cloned area for the cloning stamp.

    1. Re:Ah, so SMB is to blame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      It is clearly connected with SMB. Open a Photoshop file. Check that the modifier keys are working as they should. Now connect to a Windows PC through the 'Connct to Server?' menu in the Finder. The network protocol used when connecting to a PC is SMB. Try to download or upload a file from the PC. Go back to Photoshop and check if the modifier keys are still working. You will find that they are not working. This happens every time one conncets to a PC. It is 100% predictable. A very annoying bug that Apple should fix asap. Logging out/in fixes the problem until next time one connects to a PC. By the way this problem is not only affecting Adobe software. I use Freehand a lot and have the same problem.

  6. FileMaker, Stupid Solutions and the number 42 by coyote4til7 · · Score: 4, Informative

    FileMaker Pro running under classic (at least versions 4.1 and 5.0) has a wonderful problem. When you drag things in layout mode, FileMaker drag copies. This problem began in 10.2.3 or possibly earlier, so I suspect this little keyboard problem is the cause.

    The solution Adobe gives is a _bad_ workaround. I really don't like leaving my machine completely open to the world by turning off the screensaver password. They should have to know more than the average script kiddie to break into my machine. ;} Has anyone figured out a better workaround?

    --

    the clock on the wall says 4 til 7
  7. Re:Yup, I deal with this every day. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    You shouldn't have to reboot to disconnect the network drive even after you left the office, that happens to me (off of my home smb server) all the time, and it just takes a little bit longer, but it does unmount it.

  8. I think it depends on the machine... by nycroft · · Score: 2

    I use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign all day, every day. I am running 10.2.4. I even connect to SMB servers at work.

    So what's the deal? I tried recreating the conditions in the Adobe article by doing exactly the opposite of their instructions. No problem here. I have logged out, back in, and have all 3 programs running...I'm using modifying keys all over the place! Wait a minute...let's reboot the machine and see...just a second...Oh yeah! I'm modifying, baby!

    Maybe somebody out there enabled the root user, screwed up their permissions, and then complained to Adobe about it.

    --
    Mr. Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time is enemy action.