Users of Mozilla’s Opera browser might be wise to stay away from Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage service for the time being, as it’s been discovered that the SkyDrive website is capable of crashing Opera’s desktop browser with NULL commands.
The SkyDrive code includes over 2 million NULL characters, causing the Opera browser to hang and use 100 percent system processor resources, as the browser tries to interpret the NULL values. This issue has raised significant concerns among Opera users who rely on the browser for their daily internet activities.
Impact on Opera Users
The impact of this issue on Opera users is substantial. When the browser encounters the NULL characters embedded in the SkyDrive code, it becomes unresponsive. This not only disrupts the user’s current session but also forces them to restart the browser, potentially losing any unsaved work. The high CPU usage can also slow down the entire system, affecting other applications and processes running concurrently.
However, other browsers receiving the same NULL characters within the SkyDrive code, such as Firefox and Internet Explorer, show no signs of problems reading the NULL characters. This discrepancy highlights a specific compatibility issue between Opera and SkyDrive, which needs to be addressed to ensure a seamless user experience across all browsers.
Technical Explanation and Future Steps
For more information, jump over to the blog of Opera Core Quality Assurance software tester Hallvord R. M. Steen, who explains that Opera will need to change the way their browser reads the NULL values. According to Steen, the current method of handling NULL characters in Opera is not optimized for such a large volume, leading to the browser’s inability to process the data efficiently.
This issue underscores the importance of robust error handling and compatibility testing in software development. As web technologies evolve, browsers must adapt to handle new types of data and coding practices. Opera’s development team will likely need to implement a patch or update to address this specific problem, ensuring that their browser can handle large volumes of NULL characters without crashing.
In the meantime, Opera users who rely on SkyDrive for cloud storage may need to consider alternative browsers or cloud services to avoid disruptions. This situation also serves as a reminder for users to regularly update their browsers and software to benefit from the latest security patches and performance improvements.
Source: TNW
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