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Including “And. And. And. And. And.” in a Google doc causes it to crash (support.google.com)

1473 points by patneedham · 1592 days ago · 411 comments on HN

Article summary

The article discusses a bug in Google Docs where typing 'And. And. And. And. And.' causes the application to crash. The root cause of the bug is unknown, but it has been replicated by multiple users across different operating systems and browsers. The discovery of the bug has sparked curiosity and speculation about its origin. Users have attempted to reproduce the bug with similar phrases, such as 'Why. Why. Why. Why. Why.', with some success.

Main themes

  • Google Docs bug
  • text processing
  • grammar check
  • software testing
  • edge cases
  • accidental discovery

What commenters say

  • The bug may be related to the grammar check feature in Google Docs.
  • The discovery of the bug was likely accidental, resulting from a user typing or copying a phrase that triggered the crash.
  • The bug could be an example of a poorly handled edge case, rather than a deliberate feature or Easter egg.
  • Some users believe the bug may be related to the processing of conjunctions, such as 'and' or 'but'.
  • The bug has been replicated with other phrases, such as 'However.', 'Therefore.', and 'Also.', which suggests a broader issue with the application's text processing.
  • The discovery of the bug highlights the importance of thorough testing and quality assurance in software development.
  • The bug may have been discovered through a variety of means, including accidental typing, copy-pasting, or intentional testing.
  • The root cause of the bug remains unknown, and further investigation is needed to determine the underlying issue.