title: symlinked hosts file ignored by OS X; dev domains redirect to 127.0.53.53
body: <p>I'm aware that various domains are now <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25662590/domain-foo-bar-points-127-0-53-53-why/25665936#25665936">redirected to 127.0.53.53 by ICANN</a> to alert people to potential current/future name collisions.</p>
  
  <p>However, I assumed any entries in my hosts file, for, for example, a development site running on Vagrant using a <code>.dev</code> domain, would still be honoured and have priority.</p>
  
  <p>Currently I've a situation on a Mac (OSX 10.9.5) where most browsers (Safari 7.1.2, Firefox 35, Chrome Canary) are attempting to connect to  127.0.53.53 regardless.  The only way I can get it to work is to change the TLD to something else.</p>
  
  <p>Weirdly in Chrome stable 39.0.2171.95, which is my main browser, the <code>.dev</code> hosts file entries  still load OK at present.</p>
  
  <p>I've tried various things, restarting apps, restarting the VM, simplifying the hosts file / looking for errors, flushing the cache – <code>dscacheutil -flushcache</code> etc. Hosts entries with other TLDs (or none) still work fine.</p>
  
  <p>Fixable / is there anything I've forgotten?</p>