Despite previous efforts to bring support for the ZFS file-system to Mac OS X, Apple has dropped the project. Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz several years ago publicly claimed Leopard would utilize ZFS instead of HFS+, although Apple only provided limited support for the new technology. Even the read-only functionality was dropped with the transition to Snow Leopard.
Apple on Wednesday released performance updates for both its Leopard and Snow Leopard operating systems. The downloads address intermittent stalls caused by hard drives, an issue reported by a a small number of users. The updates do not appear to include any other bug fixes.
Apple on Thursday released security updates for Mac OS X v10.5.8 and v10.4.11, including the standard and Server editions. The updates resolve a variety of security vulnerabilities relating to maliciously crafted alias files, resource forks, image files, PDFs, scheduler requests and PixarFilm files, among others.
A controversial report today has accused Apple of borrowing or being late to features previously available in Windows. The PC World story argues that Apple is behind in implementing 64-bit and that Exposé's new integration with the Dock, the enhanced PDF preview, and QuickTime X are all either derivative of features first seen in XP or Vista or else available separately. Author Randall Kennedy goes as far as to claim that QuickTime X is a "reactionary" move to Windows Movie Maker.
Verbatim today catered to those who want high-performance but portable hard drives through the SureFire. Every model has both FireWire 800 and USB 2 ports and will run the 2.5-inch drive inside solely on bus power, particularly suiting it to MacBook Pros that need the full 800Mbps of bandwidth. Their casing is both relatively sturdy and scratch-resistant aluminum.
New builds of Mac OS X 10.5.8 and 10.6 Server have been seeded to developers, reports say. The v10.5.8 release, titled 9L25, is said to have no known problems, and correct only two: one with saving e-mails as individual documents, and another involving URL localization. Testing efforts are now shifting from narrow to broad focus, concentrating on some three dozen components previously examined in other builds.
Following the availability of Mac OS X 10.5.7, Apple on Tuesday released updates for Safari, Mac OS X Tiger systems and OS X 10.5.7 Server. Safari 3.2.3 is recommended for all Safari users, providing fixes for a number of security vulnerabilities. The downloads are available for Tiger, Leopard and Windows operating systems, with file sizes ranging from 20MB to 40MB.
Undeterred by lawsuits, Psystar this morning launched the Open(3) as its latest overt Mac clone. The system drops the conventional mini-tower for a slimline shape but is technically faster: the stock model uses a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo desktop processor and now has the option of up to a 2.53GHz Core 2 Quad. Psystar further gives the clone space for a small dedicated graphics card and options for 802.11n Wi-Fi as well as three FireWire 800 ports or a USB Bluetooth adapter.
Following the release of Mac OS X 10.5.6 in December, Apple is now said to be testing the next maintenance and security update to the Leopard operating system, Mac OS X 10.5.7, according to AppleInsider. Sources indicate that the upcoming version includes a large number of bug fixes, with nearly six dozen code corrections already contained in the 440MB pre-release package.
Following the release of the latest Mac OS X Snow Leopard build to developers, screenshot leaks posted on World of Apple show a few minor changes to the interface. The build allows users to navigate the folders from within Stacks, without automatically closing the Stack each time a folder is opened. Diving further into the Stacks will create a small grid window of the parent Stack in the corner of the screen.
HyperMegaNet is not worried about any legal threats from Apple, according to company spokesman Dirk Bloessl. The German builder is currently selling the PearC line, a series of PCs which have the option of Mac OS X Leopard as an alternative to Windows; Leopard's EULA strictly forbids installing the OS on non-Apple hardware. Should Apple initiate a lawsuit, Bloessl notes that HyperMegaNet will first try to settle outside of court. "But if necessary," Bloessl adds, "we are not afraid of going to court with Apple."
As made possible by a recent ruling, Psystar has filed an amended complaint in its countersuit against Apple. While the Mac clone builder has been forced to drop antitrust accusations, it is continuing with allegations of copyright misuse relating to Mac OS X. Leopard's End-User License Agreement (EULA) specifies that the OS can only be installed on an official Apple computer, something Psystar argues is an overextension of the Mac OS X copyright.
Apple has released several security updates for Mac OS X Leopard, Server, Tiger Intel and Tiger PowerPC. A variety of vulnerabilities have been addressed, including a potential issue with the AFP Server that could lead to an infinite loop or denial of service on systems running OS X 10.5.6. For all operating systems, the Apple Pixlet Video code has been corrected to prevent a maliciously crafted movie file from executing arbitrary code.
Another Mac clone builder has appeared in spite of questionable legality, a publication reports. Based in Germany, a company known as HyperMegaNet UG has begun selling the PearC line, on which shoppers can have Mac OS X Leopard installed, or alternately Windows Vista or XP. The line is divided into Starter, Advanced and Professional models, with base prices ranging from €499 to €1,499.
The long-awaited uTorrent beta for Macs is out as of Wednesday, offering users of Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer the same low-memory footprint Windows users have enjoyed to date. Compared to the Windows version, however, the newly-released version is missing certain features, including an RSS downloader. Rumors of a Mac uTorrent release first surfaced in June of 2007, with an alpha version leaked back in September.
A new Wenatchee build of Rhino has upped the system requirements to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and introduced several new features, while the new Electric Image Sonica 1.0 plug-in provides audio-visual synchronization for Maya users. Architosh reports that Rhino can now accommodate European ISO keyboards for some menu shortcuts, as well as two new mouse gestures, four trackpad gestures, and many new commands for tool palettes.
A recent topic of interest in the MacNN forums revolves around one user questioning the benefits of the rumored update to the Mac OS, Snow Leopard. One forum member expresses their interest in the Netbook segment that has been gaining in popularity, and hopes that Apple will be coming out with a model to compete. Complaints about the MacBook Air bogging down when viewing such websites as YouTube is the topic of conversation in this thread. Forum goers discuss Alsoft: DiskWarrior and its incompatibility with the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models. Dedicated MacNNer, Robster1958, does not like the screen on the new MacBook and sparked a conversation comparing it to other competitors models.
Apple on Thursday unveiled Security Update 2008-007, resolving numerous holes in the system that mainly allowed for arbitrary code execution, but also pertains to several other vulnerabilities. The Weblog server was patched to fix an issue where users with multiple short names on the access control list would cause the server not to observe access rules properly. Security Update 2008-007 is available for both Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger and 10.5.5 Leopard.
An Apple patent application, published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office, contains indications that the company may seek to expand on the preview concept first introduced with Leopard's QuickLook. Apple notes that in most operating systems, the mouse cursors reacts comparatively little to its positioning, for instance changing shape to enter text or click on a URL. This does provide not much (if any) information however, something the proposed patent would aim to change.
You Software has released You Control: Desktops 1.3, an update featuring Mac OS X 10.5 compatibility for the workspace-management application. You Control: Desktops allows users to set up multiple desktop configurations, switching easily between them. In addition to compatibility with Leopard, the update also adds new options for customizing how desktops behave.
Smith Micro says it has released StuffIt Deluxe 2009, an upgraded version of its popular compression program. The 2009 edition adds a variety of features, most notably support for more recent Apple technologies. These include Time Machine and Quick Look, the latter of which lets users examine an archive within Finder and other supporting applications, such as Mail.
Apple is now distributing the latest upgrade to Mac OS X, v10.5.5, through Software Update. The patch addresses a considerable number of aspects in the operating system, such as Mail, MobileMe and Address Book, as well as some "general" concerns, according to Apple's support notes. Some of these include Spotlight indexing, the reliability of iPhone sync with both iCal and Address Book, and problems with Macs powering on involuntarily at the same time every day. The update is sized anywhere between 136 and 353MB, depending on the number of minor patches already installed.
Microsoft's next Windows Home Server may share some design cues from Mac OS X, a job posting by the company reveals. The firm is searching for a software engineer that would design a "slick" user interface for the networked media storage hub, with examples of the intended changes coming from other software. The device will ideally have a visual restore tool similar to Mac OS X Leopard's Time Machine; it should also integrate tightly with Microsoft's own Windows Media Center and Live Mesh interfaces.
Despite having been in operation for just three weeks, a company specializing in Mac clones is already putting itself up for sale, according to a website notice. Open Tech says it is now willing to sell the entire company, including branding, trade secrets and website, for a price of just $50,000. This amount can even be paid via PayPal, an extremely unusual move in the business world.
The name Corsair is probably best known as a company that supplies memory chips for Macs, but there's another Corsaire -- spelled with an "e" -- that researches computer security issues. The latter is out with a new "Security White Paper" targeting Mac OS X Leopard users. The 54-page report goes into extensive detail on best practices for "hardening" individual machines and Mac Networks. The company says the guide may be useful for system administrators wishing to "enforce an organization-wide desktop security policy."
Dockland Software has announced Fantasktik, a taskbar app for the Mac which allows switching between Finder and application windows. It groups windows according to application in collapsed form on the taskbar, and uses Leopard's Core Animation to offer previews of the minimized content. The app uses a click-and-slide method for searching through numerous windows in a grouping, and offers one-click window switching. Collapsing and expanding windows is also a one-click operation.
Owners of BlackBerry cellphones should now have more robust support on the Mac, according to an announcement. PocketMac, an app free from Research in Motion thanks to a licensing agreement, has been updated to v4.1.25 with a number of important features for Mac users, most notably the ability to sync iTunes and iPhoto libraries. iTunes playlists exclude any protected tracks, but iPhoto collections retain their album organizations, and can have images scaled down if necessary. Photos stored on a BlackBerry can imported directly to iPhoto.
Psystar is "definitely still shipping" its Mac clones, in spite of an ongoing lawsuit from Apple, reads a message from the company. "Recently, our sales team has received several inquiries as to whether or not our systems are still available," the company says. "Psystar is definitely still shipping Open Computing products and we've introduced our restore utilities to enhance the computing experience for our customers at no extra cost."
Just under a week after the last update, Apple has begun seeding a new build of Mac OS X 10.5.5 to developers, titled 9F13. Measuring 330MB, the software is said to have no changes to the core components of Leopard, but instead merely a collection of 10 bug fixes, bringing the total in v10.5.5 to 115. This number should continue to increase, as the public version of the update is only expected in October.
Forum roundup: A hot topic in the MacNN forums today revolves around bizarre Apps in the App store, one in particular costs $999 to download, is titled I Am Rich, and serves no real purpose. Curiosity about MacBook Air upgrades are addressed in this thread. Sandy H., a Fresh Faced Recruit to the forums, is looking for some advice on the proper direction to go with configuring drives for use in video editing. One user asks for ways to clean up Leopard to make as much room on their system as possible. Members discuss whether or not the reported cracks in the new iPhone 3G cases are a widespread issue or just a random occurrence in this thread.
A new test build of Mac OS X 10.5.5 is being seeded to developers, sources indicate to AppleInsider. The v10.5.5 update is expected to almost exclusively address bug fixes and security issues, and has so far solved errors in Address Book printing, the display of IMAP accounts in Mail, and contact and calendar sync. The latest build is titled 9F9, and is said to have increased the number of bug fixes to over 100, and the amount of core components under scrutiny to 24.
Sonos System Software 2.6 was released today by Sonos, a developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home environment. The software update includes support for SonosNet, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), larger music collections, NasBasic firmware and Mac OS X Leopard. Customers have been experiencing various issues when trying to connect to a Mac computer running OS X Leopard but version 2.6 should solve all of those conflicts.
Apple is beginning to pave significant paths into the corporate world, says the research firm Yankee Group. Following a recent web survey of 750 global IT administrators and C-level executives, the firm says it has discovered that approximately four out of every five businesses have Macs running on their network. In general, says Yankee analyst Laura DiDio, adoption of Apple computers is said to be growing at a "steady and sustained pace not seen since the late 1980s."
Microsoft has begun the early phase of its new ad campaign designed to counter Apple's control of Vista's image, according to ZDNet. The first fruit of the ad is a web ad campaign that aims to combat what Microsoft believes are misconceptions about its most recent version of Windows, suggesting that those who believe Vista fundamentally flawed are those who would also have believed the world was flat. The campaign is so far subtle and makes no direct references to challengers.
You Software says it has released v1.7 of You Control, its utility for Mac OS X. The program lets people create custom menus in the operating system, which can be placed in locations such as the Menu Bar, a corner of the screen, or in the middle when triggered by a hotkey. Users can launch any file, folder or application present on their Mac.
A new company says it is joining the world of Mac clones, according to reports. Open Tech claims to be developing a new PC designed to run any one of several operating systems, including not just Windows XP and Vista, but Ubuntu and Mac OS X Leopard. Though people will be able to customize their hardware once the machine goes on sale, a tentative configuration includes a 3.4GHz Intel processor, a 500GB hard drive, and 3GB of DDR2 RAM. No release date has been set.
Mac OS X 10.5 users can choose from 50 new stationery templates for Leopard's built-in Mail application. Jumsoft has released its Mail Stationery pack including "designs for "every occasion". Grouped by themes such as "invitations," "seasons," "family," and "congratulations," the professionally-designed templates add the personal touch that sems to have disappeared with the switch from paper to electronic mail.
In brief: Milliamp offers iPhone 3G battery replacement, FileMaker launches "Tell Us Your Bento Story" sweepstakes, New Aperture 2, Mac OS Security Tutorials, and Freeway 5.1.3 adds Simplified Chinese localization ... Milliamp has announced a battery replacement service for the new iPhone 3G. "Although the new iPhone won't hit the U.S. market until later this week, we wanted the world to know that we have the capability to replace the battery in the new iPhone 3G," said Anthony Magnabosco, the owner of the iPhone battery replacement service provider. Milliamp LTD has been offering battery replacement kits for practically every iPod model, as well as battery replacement services for the more difficult-to-open iPods for three years. Every iPod and iPhone has a lithium-ion battery, so over time, the battery will fail to hold it's original charge and will eventually have to be replaced.
In brief: We have published a review of OmniFocus, Snapshot has been acquired by LateNiteSoft, Blizzard is giving away World of Warcraft expansion pack keys, a REALbasic survey is now online and Mission Repair offers flat-rate MacBook LCD replacement ... We have posted a review of OmniFocus, a task manager from The Omni Group in Seattle, WA. It is loosely based on the vaunted Getting Things Done (GTD) philosophy of David Allen, who holds the term's copyright. OmniFocus is not rigidly tied to the Getting Things Done approach, but strict GTD adherents can use it. This Tiger and Leopard compatible program has a simple and single purpose: To allow your computer to do the work of managing tasks -- from feeding the cat to making your first million.
App4mac on Friday unveiled Sequence 1.0 for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, its screenshot and video capture tool designed to use multithreaded code and a 64-bit enabled compression system. Sequence allows users to capture screenshots and movies of the entire screen or segments within, and send the resulting media to either the clipboard or into a file. App4mac is selling Sequence 1.0 for $20, and is available for download from the company's website.
Apple on Monday released Mac OS X 10.5.4, another update to its "Leopard" operating system. In addition to a number of security fixes, the company addressed issues with Adobe CS3, AirPort connectivity, iCal, SSL connections using Safari, and Spaces and Exposé. Specifically, the company said the 59MB update, available via the Software Update, resolves an issue with saving and reopening Adobe Creative Suite 3 files on a remote server; includes additional RAW image support for several cameras, addresses an issue that may result in a partially installed X11 application, and improves L2TP VPN client reliability. Apple also said the update brings better AirPort reliability issues with 5GHz networks and improves performance in Logic Studio or MainStage over AirPort networks.
Assistware says its KeyStrokes 4.1 on-screen keyboard for Mac users with physical impairments is now available as a Universal Binary. The company calls KeyStrokes 4.1 an "important” update with improved support for Mac OS X Leopard Spaces, automatic keyboard layout switching for Leopard and other improvements. Assistware has also included its new LayoutKitchen 2.1 layout editor, which allows users to design their own on-screen keyboards.
AppleScript developer Chris Paveglio has released InDesign Image Catalog 3.30, including OS X Leopard compatability, on-the-fly scanning of document presets, bug fixes and other enhancements. ID Image Catalog creates contact sheets and visual catalogs of most major image formats for Adobe InDesign CS3. The update is free to current users.
SilverFast software has been upgraded to add Mac OS X Leopard compatibility for numerous Nikon film scanners. Version 6.6, first released May 25, bails out Mac owners who were told by Nikon that the company will not provide Nikon software support for Mac OX X 10.5. The updated scanner software will support owners of older Nikon film scanners (Coolscan IV and V ED, Super Coolscan 2000, 4000 ED and 5000 ED) and the most recent revision (6.6.0r1a) adds medium-format capable LS-8000 and LS-9000, on both PPC- and Intel-based Macs running OS X 10.5 and above. The software is available for a range of prices (between $400 and $512 for the Super Coolscan 5000 for example) and requires a minimum of Mac OS X 10.3.
SoftRAID has upgraded its Mac RAID software to 3.6.7, in response to compatibility problems with Leopard. The main feature of the upgrade is a new driver mechanism that stores two copies of the RAID header information. Leopard users on Intel-based Macs were experiencing occasional RAID header corruption, which led to SoftRAID engineers having to recover the volumes. The new update stores a backup copy of the header as a fallback when the software recognizes the primary has become corrupted. The corruption was occurring at a ratio of 1 in 10 million header write cycles. The update is free to version 3 owners and costs $130 for a downloaded version ($150 retail).
Logitech this morning made one of its rare webcam offerings for Macs with the advent of the QuickCam Vision Pro. A close cousin of the QuickCam Pro 9000, the USB camera is targeted at Mac mini and Mac Pro owners whose computers don't already have built-in iSight cameras but who want a better-than-average replacement for iChat, Skype, or other video apps. The Vision Pro not only has true glass optics from Carl Zeiss, rather than plastic, but also has a voice coil motor for autofocusing which is much faster and more fine-grained than the stepper motors on most webcams.
A German web site has posted photos of the test build of OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard,” and describes it as “interesting -- but not overwhelming.” Apple has told developers Snow Leopard will focus on boosting performance, not on new features. But Apfleltalk.de found at least one new feature -- the ability to create desktop web applications, much like the iPhone version of OS X. The site says Safari 4 includes a pull-down menu called “Save as Web Application” allowing users to create desktop versions of web apps, and place them in the Dock. It’s not clear if these are simply web bookmarks, or actual applications that can be used offline such as Flicker or Photoshop Express. Clicking a saved item launches a stripped-down version of Safari with immediate access to a particular site or web application, similar to the way the iPhone stores web bookmarks.
