Deformed HTML in PC Magazine

[Leif K-Brooks]

I was reading an article on CAPTCHAs in the December 30th issue of PC
Magazine. Ignoring the accessibility problems, it uses some really
deformed HTML which isn't explained:

<p<\>>What word is hidden in this image?
<p<\>><img src="/make_image?12345"<\>>
<form action="/match_word" method="post"<\>>
<input type="hidden" name="code" value="12345"<\>>
<input type="text" name="captcha"<\>>
<input type="submit" value="submit"<\>>
</form<\>>

Does anyone know what's with all of those <\>s? Is the author just
misinformed, or are they part of some hack not explained in the article?

 

[brucie]

<p<\>>What word is hidden in this image?
<p<\>><img src="/make_image?12345"<\>>
<form action="/match_word" method="post"<\>>
<input type="hidden" name="code" value="12345"<\>>
<input type="text" name="captcha"<\>>
<input type="submit" value="submit"<\>>
</form<\>>

Does anyone know what's with all of those <\>s? Is the author just
misinformed, or are they part of some hack not explained in the article?

</> is shorthand markup which is unreliable. <\> is probably the left
handed persons version. i would guess their content management system
(human or program) that generates the page has had too much to drink.