Incident: Adobe Illustrator Update Addresses Stability Issues on Macs with Over 4GB RAM

Published Date: 2010-08-06

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened in August 2010.
System 1. Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB 2. Glyph panel 3. Program crashes at launch and quit 4. Traversing a variable data set containing linked images 5. Rasterized gradient mesh objects [2736]
Responsible Organization 1. Adobe [2736]
Impacted Organization 1. Mac users with RAM exceeding 4GB were impacted by the software failure incident [2736].
Software Causes 1. Out of memory problems specific to Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB, leading to failure of shortcut keys, rulers, or file open. 2. Glyph panel glitches. 3. Crashes occurring at launch or quit. 4. Crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images. 5. Issue with white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects. [CNET - Article 2736]
Non-software Causes 1. Hardware limitation of Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB [2736] 2. Antivirus software interference during installation [2736] 3. Lack of system backup before updating [2736]
Impacts 1. Users with Macs having more than 4GB of RAM experienced out of memory problems, leading to failures of shortcut keys, rulers, or file open operations [2736]. 2. The Glyph panel glitches caused inconvenience to users working with Illustrator [2736]. 3. Crashes occurring at launch or quit of the program disrupted the user experience [2736]. 4. A crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images could have led to data loss or work interruption [2736]. 5. An issue with white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects may have affected the visual output of designs created using Illustrator [2736].
Preventions 1. Regularly conducting thorough testing on Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB to identify and address out of memory problems before release [2736]. 2. Implementing proper error handling mechanisms to prevent crashes at launch or quit, especially when traversing variable data sets containing linked images [2736]. 3. Enhancing quality assurance processes to detect and resolve Glyph panel glitches before software updates are released [2736]. 4. Ensuring compatibility testing with different system configurations, including those with large amounts of RAM, to prevent issues like white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects [2736].
Fixes 1. Disabling antivirus software and running Adobe's auto-updater or accessing the installer from the Adobe Illustrator update page [2736]. 2. Fully backing up the system before updating, either with a drive clone or Time Machine backup, to fully restore the system if necessary [2736].
References 1. Adobe (as the software developer) [2736]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown The article does not provide information about the software failure incident happening again at either the same organization or multiple organizations. Therefore, it is unknown if a similar incident has occurred before or again within the same organization or with its products and services, or at other organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident mentioned in Article 2736 is related to the design phase. Adobe Illustrator released an update to address stability issues, including problems with memory reporting on Macs with more than 4GB RAM, Glyph panel glitches, crashes at launch and quit, and other design-related issues such as white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects. These issues indicate that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced during system development or updates [2736].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident mentioned in Article 2736 is within_system. The update released by Adobe for Illustrator addresses stability issues such as out of memory problems specific to Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB, Glyph panel glitches, crashes at launch and quit, a crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images, and an issue with white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects. These issues indicate internal software problems that were causing the crashes and glitches within the Illustrator program [2736].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The software failure incident mentioned in Article 2736 was related to stability issues in Adobe Illustrator, including out of memory problems specific to Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB, Glyph panel glitches, crashes at launch and quit, a crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images, and an issue with white lines appearing on rasterized gradient mesh objects. These issues were addressed through an update released by Adobe, indicating that the failure was due to factors within the software itself rather than human actions [2736].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware in Article 2736 is the issue specific to Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB, causing out of memory problems and failure of certain functionalities like shortcut keys, rulers, or file open. This hardware-related problem was addressed in the update released by Adobe for Illustrator [2736]. (b) The software failure incident related to software in Article 2736 includes stability issues such as Glyph panel glitches and crashes at launch and quit, as well as a crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images. These software-related issues were also addressed in the update provided by Adobe for Illustrator [2736].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) malicious: There is no mention in the article of the software failure incident being caused by malicious intent. [2736] (b) non-malicious: The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to stability issues in Adobe Illustrator, such as out of memory problems, glyph panel glitches, and crashes at launch and quit. These issues are categorized as non-malicious failures caused by technical problems rather than intentional harm. [2736]
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The article does not provide specific information about the intent behind the software failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown whether the failure was due to poor decisions or accidental decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the failure was due to contributing factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article. The update released by Adobe for Illustrator addresses stability issues such as out of memory problems specific to Macs with RAM exceeding 4GB, Glyph panel glitches, and crashes at launch and quit. These issues were unintentional and accidental, requiring a software update to rectify them [2736].
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 2736 seems to fall under the category of a temporary failure. The article mentions that Adobe released an update for Illustrator to address stability issues, including problems with memory reporting, glyph panel glitches, and crashes at launch and quit. These issues were specifically identified and addressed in the update, indicating that the failure was temporary and not a permanent state of the software.
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The software failure incident mentioned crashes at launch and quit, as well as a crash when traversing a variable data set containing linked images [2736]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software omitting to perform its intended functions in the provided article. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of the software performing its intended functions too late or too early in the provided article. (d) value: The article does not mention the software performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention the software behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The software failure incident mentioned stability issues, including problems with reporting not enough memory on Macs with more than 4GB of RAM and Glyph panel glitches [2736].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The article does not mention any consequences related to people losing their lives (a), being physically harmed (b), having their access to food or shelter impacted (c), experiencing property damage (d), or having to postpone an activity (e) due to the software failure incident. There is also no mention of non-human entities being impacted (f). The article primarily focuses on the software issues and the steps to address them, such as crashes, memory problems, and glitches. Therefore, the consequence of the software failure incident is categorized as 'no_consequence' (g).
Domain entertainment The software failure incident reported in Article 2736 is related to the entertainment industry. Adobe Illustrator, the software in question, is a widely used tool in the creative industry, including graphic design, illustration, and other visual arts. The update released by Adobe addresses stability issues such as memory problems, crashes, and glitches that impact users working in the entertainment sector, which includes arts, sports, hospitality, and tourism ([2736]).

Sources

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