Heck I see this bug on Windows and Linux too. It's just how File Managers work in other OS' they're not perfect. If I know a directory is massive, I don't go by what the OS immediately tells me. A few TB sounds like it would take a long while to fully update, but I bet there's a time out limit.

Currently running macOS Mojave.

I've tested with a SMB share, it says "calculating" when it doesn't know the size of a directory:

https://i.postimg.cc/3xn1sNC6/Screenshot-2019-02-25-at-08-03...

It also shows "--" when in list view:

https://i.postimg.cc/66n09YfC/Screenshot-2019-02-25-at-08-05...

> I see this bug on Windows

What do you mean? The "Size" column is completely empty for directories.

If you right click and open properties on a directory, it will show a size that grows four times per second, very blatantly a calculation in progress.

How do you get this bug on Windows?

I mean the size column can be misleading sometimes while the File Manager figures itself out. Yeah Properties seems to work a little better. It's usually due to larger file sizes. Unlike the OP of the article it doesn't bother me enough, I've just seen it happen across OS' and have not had issues with it, if I need to know a file size, I have other means like the command line, of course sometimes the command line is another culprit of not showing a directory size as well. Like only showing 4 KiB for every directory at least on Ubuntu.

> I mean the size column can be misleading sometimes while the File Manager figures itself out.

On windows? How are you getting that column to not be permanently blank on directories?

I'm on Ubuntu at work and my Windows laptop's at home but there's others who've ran into what I'm talking about:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10...

Basically: You see one file size on a parent folder, and when you drill in further it changes. I'm surprised these explorers don't try to cache some of the info somehow.

This sounds like someone doesn't understand how Windows calculates folder sizes. It will never show the size unless you look at the folder properties; and even then, there's no indication when it's done calculating. It might be obvious sometimes because the number is continuously changing, but if it hits a lot of very small files, it won't visibly change for a while.

Edit: Actually, apparently there is a bug related to this in recent versions of Windows, but it's still a behavior that can happen even without a bug.

Ah. Though that's still opening the properties dialog, which is much rarer than browsing.

Also they're reporting that it only happens with full filenames over MAX_PATH, so it's a very different bug. The base idea of "show a continuously-increasing size until don't calculating" works fine

> ... never seen this in HFS, much less in APFS.

I can't help myself: If you never see it on HFS, how can you see it less on APFS? :)

I'll be the other guy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/much%20less

American colloquialisms are fun.

"He had trouble paying for a car, much less a high-definition TV."

Ha, someone needs to update their examples now that a "high-definition TV" is every TV and $100 gets you a brand new one.

I'll be the first guy again, quoting your link: "used especially in negative contexts to add to one item another denoting something less likely"

American colloquialisms are awkward, but if you dig deep enough, you will find traces of their original meaning shining through, despite the best efforts of the people to eliminate it.

"I've never seen it" is a low likelihood, but it's easy to go lower. Applying "less" to the likelihood of the error is perfectly reasonable. The word "less" is not being compared to "never".

It’s an expression that has nothing to do with quantity.

I read that blog some times (checking for deals, mostly, and reviews) and it look like it.

Until it start happening to me. I get the "this file is 0 bytes" bug for some time.

Is fixed?

I don't know! Is just that the "0 bytes" files was part of my project and the bug manifest other nasty effect... But I can't claim, right now, the bug is not here!

I've been a user for years, and until APFS, I've never seen it.

I see it all the time now.