Sublime text started adding a “.s” to new files

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A macOS Sequoia bug is causing the system save dialog to append incorrect or partial file extensions such as “.s” to filenames, especially when saving files with non-standard or multiple extensions in editors like Sublime Text, VS Code, and even TextEdit. Commenters trace the behavior to Apple’s NSSavePanel logic for inferring file types, arguing that it should not modify arbitrary filenames and that such regressions should be caught by automated tests. The incident feeds into broader concerns about Apple’s declining software quality, fragile UX “smart” features, incomplete security patch backports, and prompts some developers to contemplate moving their workflows to Linux.

Bug behavior: unwanted “.s” and other suffixes on save

  • Multiple users report macOS Sequoia’s save dialog appending extra extensions, often “.s”, when saving files in Sublime Text, VS Code, Zed, and even TextEdit.
  • It particularly affects “non‑standard” or unregistered extensions (e.g., foo.html.haml → .h, database.sql → .sql.s, test.foo → .foo.f).
  • The extension-change warning dialog misidentifies what the user typed (e.g., treats .asm as .as).
  • Behavior appears system‑wide via NSSavePanel, not specific to a single editor.

Suspected root cause

  • Consensus that this is a macOS bug, not an intentional feature.
  • Theories focus on:
    • Partial/substring matching of extensions instead of full matches.
    • A regression in the logic that infers or auto-adds extensions when apps allow “any file type”.
    • Possibly a regex or matching change that dropped full‑match anchors.
  • Some note Apple is deprecating broader access to type metadata, which may have created edge cases.
  • Case‑sensitive filesystems impact is raised but not answered (unclear).

Critique of Apple QA and platform direction

  • Many express frustration that such a basic, decades-old UI behavior could ship broken, questioning Apple’s QA and test coverage.
  • Several argue old, “stable” code often lacks tests and only gets coverage after breaking.
  • Broader pattern of regressions complained about:
    • Safari networking bug returning “No space left on device”.
    • Emoji “suggestion” UX in macOS/iOS that replaces prior words unpredictably.
    • Xcode’s new autocomplete that “hallucinates” methods and parameters.
    • Window tiling shortcuts tied to the Fn/Globe key, hard to disable and conflicting with third‑party tilers.
    • Mail’s special handling of Gmail/OAuth flows being opaque and annoying.
  • Some worry Apple prioritizes new features and monetization over core reliability and developer UX.

Workarounds, comparisons, and alternatives

  • No solid macOS-side workaround beyond avoiding Sequoia; Windows’ quote‑filename trick does not help on macOS.
  • A few users say issues like this push them toward Linux; discussion branches into Debian vs Arch stability and package management.
  • Minor side notes compare this to other “helpful” systems that mutate filenames (Python shelve, Windows save dialogs).