Apple preparing first betas of Mac OS 10.6.5

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
The next bug fix and maintenance release for Apple's Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard operating has progressed through the company's internal verification process and will soon make its way to developers for broader testing.



People familiar with the matter say a limited number of developers are expecting the first external pre-release builds of Mac OS X 10.6.5 over the next 48 hours. A wider release accessible to all paid Apple developers could come as early as this weekend.



Though it's unclear just yet what enhancements Apple's planning to incorporate into the release, graphics driver and OpenGL performance is expected to remain a priority in 10.6.5, as it has in previous Snow Leopard updates.



After installing Mac OS X 10.6.4, released last month, users began reporting an assortment of graphics issues ranging from choppy video performance to sporadic corruption issues within Safari.



For their part, game makers Blizzard and Valve have both suggested that graphics issues related to some of their newer titles may be due to changes in the OpenGL implementation that shipped as part of Mac OS X 10.6.4.



"The recent 10.6.4 update from Apple has noticeable performance issues for NVidia graphic chip owners running high performance games," wrote a Valve support rep. "If you wish to avoid this, you should consider waiting to install the 10.6.4 update until Apple has had the opportunity to address this issue."



An example of graphics corruption in Safari after installing Mac OS X 10.6.4.



A pair of discussion threads (1, 2) on Apple's official support forums offer a rundown of other graphics issues reported by users.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    My iMacs/MacBook Pros (and last remaining MacBook) have been rock solid since the last round of updates, though further improvement is always welcome.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    Bring it on.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    joe hsjoe hs Posts: 488member
    that screenshot of a corrupted safari reminds me of what IE 6 used to look like.
  • Reply 4 of 26
    hezetationhezetation Posts: 674member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe hs View Post


    that screenshot of a corrupted safari reminds me of what IE 6 used to look like.



    I see similar graphics corruption but usually only when I have VMWare running. 3rd party apps could very much be a culprit for this kind of stuff.



    I've never had the graphics stay on the screen though, they always appear momentarily and then vanish for good.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    shaggyshaggy Posts: 42member
    The only time I see that issue is when I am using Safari to view Facebook and there is a lot of flash content on the page, like in Mafia Wars for example.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    dcj001dcj001 Posts: 301member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaggy View Post


    The only time I see that issue is when I am using Safari to view Facebook and there is a lot of flash content on the page, like in Mafia Wars for example.



    Don't do that and you won't see that issue.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    joe hsjoe hs Posts: 488member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DCJ001 View Post


    Don't do that and you won't see that issue.



    There is no corruption issue



    -steve



    sent from my PC
  • Reply 8 of 26
    nicromanicroma Posts: 17member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaggy View Post


    The only time I see that issue is when I am using Safari to view Facebook and there is a lot of flash content on the page, like in Mafia Wars for example.



    Maybe the corruption is associated with the mafia?
  • Reply 9 of 26
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nicroma View Post


    Maybe the corruption is associated with the mafia?



    Maybe, just maybe, it might be associated with Flash as well
  • Reply 10 of 26
    kingkueikingkuei Posts: 137member
    I think I was reading here a few weeks ago that developers had found the first signs of TRIM command support in some unreleased build of Mac OS X. Does anyone remember which oS build they were referring to?



    With SSDs set to gain popularity in the coming months and years, it seems the time is right for Apple to get on the bandwagon.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,418member
    That graphics corruption has been around in 10.6.3 as well! Maybe even before that, I don't recall anymore...
  • Reply 12 of 26
    Apple (or, rather, Steve Jobs') notion of a credible Graphics Driver Developer as part of the OS X team is a monkey who plays around with a steering wheel attached to one Etch A Sketch knob (steering both knobs simultaneously would blow its mind).
  • Reply 13 of 26
    I was a 'fortunate' beta tester for Starcraft 2 and, based on the painstakingly sluggish game-play experience, will not be purchasing Starcraft 2 until (if?) Apple releases an update addressing the significant graphics issues.



    For reference, here are my MBP's specs:



    Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz

    4 GB RAM

    NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 512 MB VRAM



    Mac OS X 10.6.4





    So for now, I will save the $59.99 plus 6.25% sales tax and wait for Apple to put forth a "fix". Otherwise, I will consider their apathy a blessing in disguise (save some cash).
  • Reply 14 of 26
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaggy View Post


    The only time I see that issue is when I am using Safari to view Facebook and there is a lot of flash content on the page, like in Mafia Wars for example.



    Have you tried ClickToFlash?
  • Reply 15 of 26
    giosacconegiosaccone Posts: 121member
    Fix battery and Safari
  • Reply 16 of 26
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    The 10.6 point releases seem to stay in testing for a long time, so I wouldn't expect this any time soon.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    pembrokepembroke Posts: 230member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DCJ001 View Post


    Don't do that and you won't see that issue.





    If you're having a problem with your computer it may be because you're using it. When your Mac is not switched on we expect no output from it. This is in fact the case, Apple products deliver this expected outcome 100% of the time - therefore your Mac always operates as expected when not switched on. Apple's products have operated with this consistency since 1976!



    Also, when using stuff, like knives, forks and mobile phones, be sure to hold them such that they work in a useful fashion.



    Just sayin'



    ;-)
  • Reply 18 of 26
    coordscoords Posts: 7member
    I wish they would fix the issue I have with my USB external drive that I use for Time Machine. If the mac goes to sleep, I get an error that my USB disk hadn't been ejected correctly.



    Apple support, if you real this, please fix! TY!
  • Reply 19 of 26
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jdanek630 View Post


    I was a 'fortunate' beta tester for Starcraft 2 and, based on the painstakingly sluggish game-play experience, will not be purchasing Starcraft 2 until (if?) Apple releases an update addressing the significant graphics issues.



    For reference, here are my MBP's specs:



    Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz

    4 GB RAM

    NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 512 MB VRAM



    Mac OS X 10.6.4





    So for now, I will save the $59.99 plus 6.25% sales tax and wait for Apple to put forth a "fix". Otherwise, I will consider their apathy a blessing in disguise (save some cash).



    Your analysis powers must be really amazing.



    You're running a beta version of Starcraft and it's buggy. Yet somehow, you have discerned just from running the app that it's Apple's fault and not Starcraft's fault.



    Where did you get your crystal ball? I'd like one, too.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Your analysis powers must be really amazing.



    You're running a beta version of Starcraft and it's buggy. Yet somehow, you have discerned just from running the app that it's Apple's fault and not Starcraft's fault.



    Where did you get your crystal ball? I'd like one, too.







    Thanks for being an uncalled for snob. Did you even read the article?



    Citation:



    For their part, game makers Blizzard and Valve have both suggested that graphics issues related to some of their newer titles may be due to changes in the OpenGL implementation that shipped as part of Mac OS X 10.6.4.



    "The recent 10.6.4 update from Apple has noticeable performance issues for NVidia graphic chip owners running high performance games," wrote a Valve support rep. "If you wish to avoid this, you should consider waiting to install the 10.6.4 update until Apple has had the opportunity to address this issue."





    In case you're not aware, Starcraft 2 is developed by Blizzard.
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