EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL) at random during use of app. Bug in AppKit?

I'm currently testing a new version of an app of mine on OSX 10.5 An user reported some weird crashes during use of the application, sadly not reproducible by me. At first sight it seems to happen randomly, once he had the crash while opening an NSOpenPanel and once during focusing an NSTextField and once during NSView switch in a parent view.

If you have any idea which area I should look at it would be greatly appreciated! I'm completely lost here.

App is compiled in XCode 3.2.1 with SDK 10.5 and targetted at 10.5

Please note the issue isn't visible for hundreds of customers but for at least one it is. It's not in [openNZBFileButtonClick] only, the stacktraces seem to appear randomly even when clicking in an NSTextField once.

He send me these crashes:

Crash 1

    Process:         NZBVortex [43622]
    Path:            /Users/cero/Downloads/NZBVortex.app/Contents/MacOS/NZBVortex
    Identifier:      com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex
    Version:         0.5.5 (0.5.5)
    Code Type:       X86-64 (Native)
开发者_开发问答    Parent Process:  launchd [97]

Interval Since Last Report:          1951 sec
    Crashes Since Last Report:           1
    Per-App Interval Since Last Report:  1858 sec
    Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   1

    Date/Time:       2010-03-23 23:43:49.671 +0100
    OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
    Report Version:  6
    Anonymous UUID:  98AB0386-590B-4E0D-B7AC-3F7AA4E7238E

    Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL)
    Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000
    Crashed Thread:  0

    Application Specific Information:
    objc[43622]: alt handlers in objc runtime are buggy!
    - Hide quoted text -

    Thread 0 Crashed:
    0   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82baef6e _objc_fatal + 238
    1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82bb2ea4
    objc_addExceptionHandler + 302
    2   com.apple.CoreFoundation            0x00007fff842b1090
    _CFDoExceptionOperation + 528
    3   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f75e26 _NSAppKitLock + 81
    4   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f80f8f -[NSView nextKeyView] + 56
    5   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f81018 -[NSView
    _primitiveSetNextKeyView:] + 72
    6   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff820732b1 -[NSView
    _recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 242
    7   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
    _recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
    8   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
    _recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
    9   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
    _recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
    10  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
    _recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
    11  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072fc3 -[NSView
    _setDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 279
    12  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072e70 -[NSWindow
    recalculateKeyViewLoop] + 36
    13  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821dd149
    -[NSSavePanel(NSSavePanelRuntime) _loadPreviousModeAndLayout] + 39
    14  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821dcf9e
    -[NSSavePanel(NSSavePanelRuntime) runModalForDirectory:file:types:] +
    71
    15  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x000000010000b7ee
    -[MainWindowViewController openNZBFileButtonClick:] + 62
    16  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821c96bf
    -[NSToolbarButton sendAction:to:] + 77
    17  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821c8bb7
    -[NSToolbarItemViewer mouseDown:] + 5362
    18  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82082783 -[NSWindow
    sendEvent:] + 5068
    19  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff8204fd46 -[NSApplication
    sendEvent:] + 5089
    20  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81faa562 -[NSApplication run] + 497
    21  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f772f0 NSApplicationMain + 373
    22  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100012a69 main + 9
    23  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100001a84 start + 52

Crash 2

Process:         NZBVortex [43600]
Path:            /Users/cero/Downloads/NZBVortex.app/Contents/MacOS/NZBVortex
Identifier:      com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex
Version:         0.5.5 (0.5.5)
Code Type:       X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process:  launchd [97]

Interval Since Last Report:          727 sec
Crashes Since Last Report:           1
Per-App Interval Since Last Report:  616 sec
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   1

Date/Time:       2010-03-23 23:11:20.000 +0100
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version:  6
Anonymous UUID:  98AB0386-590B-4E0D-B7AC-3F7AA4E7238E

Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread:  0

Application Specific Information:
objc[43600]: alt handlers in objc runtime are buggy!

Thread 0 Crashed:
0   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82baef6e _objc_fatal + 238
1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82bb2ea4
objc_addExceptionHandler + 302
2   com.apple.CoreFoundation            0x00007fff842b1090
_CFDoExceptionOperation + 528
3   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f75e26 _NSAppKitLock + 81
4   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f80f8f -[NSView nextKeyView] + 56
5   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f81018 -[NSView
_primitiveSetNextKeyView:] + 72
6   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff820732b1 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 242
7   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82156700 -[NSTabView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 119
8   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
9   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
10  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072fc3 -[NSView
_setDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 279
11  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072e70 -[NSWindow
recalculateKeyViewLoop] + 36
12  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x000000010000b527
-[MainWindowViewController showView:sender:] + 1639
13  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x000000010000ae6b
-[MainWindowViewController
preferencesSaveAlertDidEnd:returnCode:contextInfo:] + 91
14  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82224291 -[NSAlert
didEndAlert:returnCode:contextInfo:] + 107
15  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82224197 -[NSAlert
buttonPressed:] + 279
16  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82085d46 -[NSApplication
sendAction:to:from:] + 97
17  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82085c7f -[NSControl
sendAction:to:] + 97
18  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff820851b0 -[NSCell
trackMouse:inRect:ofView:untilMouseUp:] + 1841
19  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff820849d6 -[NSButtonCell
trackMouse:inRect:ofView:untilMouseUp:] + 611
20  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff8208422f -[NSControl
mouseDown:] + 735
21  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82082783 -[NSWindow
sendEvent:] + 5068
22  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff8204fd46 -[NSApplication
sendEvent:] + 5089
23  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81faa562 -[NSApplication run] + 497
24  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f772f0 NSApplicationMain + 373
25  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100012a69 main + 9
26  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100001a84 start + 52

Crash 3

Process:         NZBVortex [43520]
Path:            /Users/cero/Downloads/NZBVortex.app/Contents/MacOS/NZBVortex
Identifier:      com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex
Version:         0.5.5 (0.5.5)
Code Type:       X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process:  launchd [97]

Interval Since Last Report:          23487 sec
Crashes Since Last Report:           2
Per-App Interval Since Last Report:  2025 sec
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   1

Date/Time:       2010-03-23 22:59:05.484 +0100
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version:  6
Anonymous UUID:  98AB0386-590B-4E0D-B7AC-3F7AA4E7238E

Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread:  0

Application Specific Information:
objc[43520]: alt handlers in objc runtime are buggy!

Thread 0 Crashed:
0   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82baef6e _objc_fatal + 238
1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff82bb2ea4
objc_addExceptionHandler + 302
2   com.apple.CoreFoundation            0x00007fff842b1090
_CFDoExceptionOperation + 528
3   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f75e26 _NSAppKitLock + 81
4   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f80f8f -[NSView nextKeyView] + 56
5   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f81018 -[NSView
_primitiveSetNextKeyView:] + 72
6   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff820732b1 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 242
7   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
8   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
9   com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
10  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82073300 -[NSView
_recursiveSetDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 321
11  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072fc3 -[NSView
_setDefaultKeyViewLoop] + 279
12  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82072e70 -[NSWindow
recalculateKeyViewLoop] + 36
13  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821dd149
-[NSSavePanel(NSSavePanelRuntime) _loadPreviousModeAndLayout] + 39
14  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821dcf9e
-[NSSavePanel(NSSavePanelRuntime) runModalForDirectory:file:types:] +
71
15  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x000000010000b7ee
-[MainWindowViewController openNZBFileButtonClick:] + 62
16  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821c96bf
-[NSToolbarButton sendAction:to:] + 77
17  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff821c8bb7
-[NSToolbarItemViewer mouseDown:] + 5362
18  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff82082783 -[NSWindow
sendEvent:] + 5068
19  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff8204fd46 -[NSApplication
sendEvent:] + 5089
20  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81faa562 -[NSApplication run] + 497
21  com.apple.AppKit                    0x00007fff81f772f0 NSApplicationMain + 373
22  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100012a69 main + 9
23  com.NZBVortex.NZBVortex             0x0000000100001a84 start + 52

I am answering my own question, but the credits should go to diciu and tedge. If they create an answer here I will move over the check to their account.

The solution was running the app in 32bit mode; more info: http://lists.apple.com/archives/objc-language/2008/Sep/msg00111.html

It looks like you have an error in openNZBFileButtonClick:; or possibly you have set Release when closed on a window that shouldn't have it.

A crash bug in AppKit vis-a-vis window handling seems fairly unlikely.