Apple has released OS X 10.5.3 through Software Update and as a Combo Update. Details about the update are included in this knowledge base article while the security fixes are listed in the security bulletin. I’ve updated my three Macs (MacBook, iMac and Mac Mini) without serious incident So far just a few minor anomalies. All use Intel processors. The update naturally requires a reboot. This was a double-reboot which is common enough now that my heart no longer stops. Each reboot took much longer than normal and the desktop [...] Read the rest »
OS X 10.5.2 Part II
I’d been having some minor problems on my MacBook since I upgrade it to OS X 10.5.2 that seemed related to .Mac syncing with my OS X 10.5.1 iMac. So rather than waiting for the weekend to upgrade my primary machine I decided to do it tonight. The problems I was having were minor but annoying. I had to turn of .Mac syncing of the Dock because the two updated Dock items, Documents and Downloads, always displayed conflict errors. The second problem may not be related to the upgrade since [...] Read the rest »
Apple OS X 10.5.2 Leopard Graphics Update 1.0
Apple released a graphics update in conjunction with OS X 10.5.2 which is required for the graphics update. Apple describes the update as “Leopard Graphics Update is recommended for all users and improves the stability and compatibility of your Mac. This update requires Mac OS X 10.5.2.” Not a lot in the way of details. A restart is needed and it was a 43MB download through Software Update on my Intel MacBook. It’s also available as a 48MB standalone update. I installed the update on my Intel MacBook. Like the [...] Read the rest »
OS X 10.5.2 Released
The updates continue with Apple releasing OS X 10.5.2 onMonday. The release notes are here and the security updates are described here. I installed it on my MacBook a short while ago and had a few minor issues. The update itself went fine. It’s a 180MB download through Software Update on my Intel MacBook. The install requires a reboot and like the 10.5.1 update the system can’t be used while the update is being applied and a restart is required. The install took about 5 minutes (not including download time) [...] Read the rest »
OS X 10.5 Leopard Frustrations
While I’m very hapy with OS X 10.5 Leopard overall and don’t regret the upgrade there are some things that annoy me or a outright bugs. Let’s get the translucent menu bar and menus out of the way. The translucent menu bar doesn’t bother me because I use a dark background. Still, the translucent menus are a problem when they drop down over other programs. Having the text on the screen bleed through the menus makes them hard to read, looks terrible, and makes no sense. I’ve seen hacks for [...] Read the rest »
Security Quest #11: Leopard Firewall Updates
Apple recently released security updates for their OS products and among those were updates for Leopard all centered around the firewall. The three firewall updates were included in the OS X 10.5.1 update. One of the fixes took a page from Microsoft by changing some words to help call the problem solved. This “re-wording” was for the problem described as: The “Block all incoming connections” setting for the firewall is misleading. Apple fixed this so the setting now reads “Allow only essential services”. According to the bulletin they have reduced [...] Read the rest »
The OS Quest Trail Log #15:
When I upgraded to Leopard I kept Safari as my default browser so it would open whenever I clicked a link. But I kept using Firefox for almost everything. I liked how fast Safari was when I did fire it up. So this morning I decided to switch over and start using Safari as my primary browser, only going to Firefox when there’s no choice. Safari definitely feels faster and uses less memory. The Greasemonkey and Browser Sync extensions to Firefox give it an edge in features over Safari, especially [...] Read the rest »
OS X 10.5.1 Released
It’s been less than a month and Apple has released OS X 10.5.1, it’s first update to Leopard. There’s over two dozen fixes listed in the release notes. Most fixes include either security, stability or reliability in the description. It’s available through Apple Software Update or as a 110MB standalone download. It was a 39.8MB download through Software Update for my Intel Macs. I installed it through Software Update on my iMac, MacBook and Mac Mini. A restart is required. The only thing I noticed is that startup times on [...] Read the rest »
Security Quest #9 – OSX.RSPlug.A Brings Macs Mainstream
There was news last week of a piece of malware targeting OS X. It’s called OSX.RSPlug.A (a.k.a. DNSChanger) and it’s a trojan distributed through porn sites (no puns). A lot was made of the fact that this *could* redirect browsers to malicious websites, such as phishing sites. The only real news here was that OS X was specifically targeted by a malware writer. It didn’t exploit any deficiency in OS X security. The only way to get the malware to install was to convince the user that they wanted to [...] Read the rest »
Leopard Spaces – My Killer Feature
I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d be picking Spaces as my killer feature in OS X 10.5 Leopard. I tried various virtual desktop systems in the past but was never overly impressed so I expected more of the same from spaces. But I was pleasantly surprised when I turned on Spaces to see what was there. I’ve been running it since. On my 13″ MacBook it makes sense because of the small screen. Even on my large 24″ iMac it’s been a huge benefit. It completely eliminates my envy of [...] Read the rest »