A GNU Text Utility (head) could cause Slackware to panic.
5 Nov. 1998
Summary
A not directly Linuxed bug caused by a program called `head`, can cause a Slackware distribution of UNIX to panic. The program originates from the GNU distribution.
The panic can be cause by running on a Slackware 2.0.34 (tested) the following command: `head -c 32 /dev/socksys`. What happens is a complete panic, and a reboot of the UNIX machine.
The program called `head` was programed to output the first part of a file(s) but in this case, it seems to try and open up the file '/dev/socksys' and print the first 32 bytes of it, which in turn causes a panic.
The bug is actually caused by a package called iBSC2 which some vendors ship in order to enable SCO emulation on non-SCO machines.
