Re: LYNX-DEV lynx crashes on this url

[Klaus Weide]

On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, Duncan Hill wrote:

> On Tue, 25 Mar 1997 address@hidden wrote:
> 
> > Lynx crashes when you select the download link off this page, 
> > http://www.ecsnet.com/html/21-p0298.html
> 
> > It prompts to download or cancel, gets the file, asks to save as, which I
> > hit enter on, then gets a sig11 and dumps core..
> 
> Ouch..so it does..lesse what a trace provides..
> Hmm..interesting, it wasn't Lynx that crashed (AFAICT), but cp.
> Lets try again..this time noting the tmp filename..sorry, it is Lynx that
> is screwing up, and its not a .gz either..wierd.  

I tried it several times, on several machines and with several lynx
versions.  So far I could not get Lynx to crash in the manner described.
However I can get it to dump core when quitting Lynx shortly *after*
downloading.

> Lynx also left its files in /tmp.  an HTML and the ".gz"..which is
> actually text/plain..

None of that is very surprising (and it is arguably not a lynx bug),
given the nonsensical HTTP headers that are being sent.

There is something else "unusual" about followin that link: it is a
POST form submission, but there aren't any form data.  Lynx sends a
POST request with "Content-Length: 0" (not illegal, but unusual AFAIK.
I don't think there is any good reason for using a form in this case
at all, a simple link should do just as well.  I have the suspicion
that all this is done just to get a specific optical "button" effect
in some GUI browser.)

> If I strace it, Lynx doesn't seg fault though, goes on quite happily..

> I think I'll ask ecsnet.com why they have text files as x-gzip though :)
> Sorry I can't help, I'll gladly send a strace or whatever..

But if they fix it now we may miss the chance to catch the bug..
   
  Klaus

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