Apple drops first build of Mac OS X 10.5.5 with warning

[AppleInsider]

As expected, Apple on Thursday afternoon provided its vast developer community with the first pre-release build of Mac OS X 10.5.5, but warned developers not to use this initial version of the software with Macs that contain integrated graphics chips.

"Do not install on the following machines: MacBook Air, MacBook, Mac Mini, iMac (with Intel integrated graphics)," the company is reported to have told developers in a set of seed notes accompanying the release, though it doesn't say when Apple will resolve the temporary graphics glitch.

People familiar with the matter say the first seed arrived labeled as Mac OS X 10.5.5 build 9F5.

Developers evaluating the beta software were asked to focus their testing efforts on a dozen and a half core system components. Among them were AirPort, FileSync, the Finder, graphics drivers, iCal, iChat, Networking, Text Services, Time Machine, and ExpressCard & USB modems.

The release also addresses 82 bugs discovered or outstanding since the release of Mac OS X 10.5.4, those familiar with the software say. *Among the significant issues mended in 9F5 seed are kernel crashes in Dashboard or with physical memory addresses larger than 4GB, multiple problems with iCal that include events, scripting, syncing, and several glitches with networking and printer sharing. *Text handling has also allegedly been improved.

On Wednesday, AppleInsider reported that Apple was preparing the first pre-release builds of Mac OS X 10.5.5 -- the latest of an ongoing string of maintenance and security update to its Leopard operating system -- for distribution prior to the weekend.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[technohermit]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

As expected, Apple on Thursday afternoon provided its vast developer community with the first pre-release builds of Mac OS X 10.5.5, but warned developers not to use the software with Macs that contain integrated graphics chips.

"Do not install on the following machines: MacBook Air, MacBook, Mac Mini, iMac (with Intel integrated graphics),"

Developers evaluating the beta software were asked to focus their testing efforts on a dozen and a half core system components. Among them were AirPort, ....

Ok, so test Airport, but don't install on the machines most likely to use Airport?

[Macaroni]

New nvidia chips with dedicated Graphics Cards?? Product Transition?

[JoeDRC]

Originally Posted by Macaroni

New nvidia chips with dedicated Graphics Cards?? Product Transition?

so MB, MBA and Mac Mini users won't get 10.5.5?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by macaroni

new nvidia chips with dedicated graphics cards?? Product transition?

What?!

Originally Posted by joedrc

so mb, mba and mac mini users won't get 10.5.5?

Huh?!

[Joe_the_dragon]

Intel can't make good drivers.

[technohermit]

Originally Posted by JoeDRC

so MB, MBA and Mac Mini users won't get 10.5.5?

That's probably right. I heard that Apple is readying end-of-life on the mini, the macbook and the macbook air. Oh yeah, the iMac, too.

[Charybdis]

Originally Posted by solipsism

What?!


Huh?!

Tee hee!

[ktappe]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Among the significant issues mended in 9F5 seed are kernel crashes in Dashboard

This is good to hear. Several times in the past month I've noticed both my cores pegged at 100% utilization. Checking "top" I found that Dashboard was eating every shred of CPU it could get. Killing the process dropped my CPU utilization down to single digits. Whether that qualifies as a "kernel crash" is questionable but Dashboard certainly needs work.

[ltcommander.data]

Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon

Intel can't make good drivers.

I'm pretty sure no GPU maker directly makes the drivers used in OS X. I believe because of the tight integration with the OpenGL pipeline, Quartz Extreme, and the Core APIs, Apple develops all the graphics drivers themselves. GPU makers help of course, but it's mainly Apple. So if you want to blame someone blame Apple.

[Slewis]

Null.

[coolfactor]

Originally Posted by JoeDRC

so MB, MBA and Mac Mini users won't get 10.5.5?

Gee, welcome to the world. This is a public "developer" release only. Of course Apple won't exclude recent Macs upon final release.

[penchanted]

Originally Posted by technohermit

That's probably right. I heard that Apple is readying end-of-life on the mini, the macbook and the macbook air. Oh yeah, the iMac, too.

Heard from whom? Someone credible or just something you've read somewhere online? Remember that your response helps us decide how credible your future posts might be.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by penchanted

Heard from whom? Someone credible or just something you've read somewhere online? Remember that your response helps us decide how credible your future posts might be.

His "Umm" subject and the accompanying emoticon and the "oh yeah, the imac too" may be an indicator of sarcasm on his part.

[ltcommander.data]

Originally Posted by penchanted

Heard from whom? Someone credible or just something you've read somewhere online? Remember that your response helps us decide how credible your future posts might be.

I believe the source is sarcasm.

[8CoreWhore]

Soon, Devs will be installing it just to see what happens and looking for answers and leaking said info here and elsewhere.

[†MiMiC]

Originally Posted by ltcommander.data

I believe the source is sarcasm.

Yeah, i thought that would have been obvious.

[Malic]

So, the biggest question of all, will 10.5.5 fix the driver issue for Diablo II / Starcraft on Nvidia Macs?

Re: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=490676

[Foo2]

Looks like maybe tonight's security update with DNS patched was held up until the developer build of 10.5.5 could be assembled. With all of the public grousing about DNS not being patched yet, Apple threw 10.5.5 together without all of the graphics drivers being included. Just speculating.

[aresee]

Originally Posted by Foo2

Looks like maybe tonight's security update with DNS patched was held up until the developer build of 10.5.5 could be assembled. With all of the public grousing about DNS not being patched yet, Apple threw 10.5.5 together without all of the graphics drivers being included. Just speculating.

Why would a security patch for public released software need a private developer release?

Besides, from the uproar inside the security community, Apple should had stopped work on this pre-release of 10.5.5 if it was holding up the DNS patch.

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by aresee

Why would a security patch for public released software need a private developer release?

You do realize the developer release of 10.5.5 is going to be applied on top of this security release?

Besides, from the uproar inside the security community, Apple should had stopped work on this pre-release of 10.5.5 if it was holding up the DNS patch.

Ever heard of risk assessment? And have you never known Apple to respond to public outcry?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Foo2

You do realize the developer release of 10.5.5 is going to be applied on top of this security release?

If 10.5.5 is going to applied on top of this security update then why would the security update have been held back?

[addicted44]

I think all these bug fixes are a sign of the efforts being put into Snow Leopard. With SL focused mainly on security / stability (as one of the main "features"), it makes sense that they decided to fix some of the current problems they might have discovered in Tiger.

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by solipsism

If 10.5.5 is going to applied on top of this security update then why would the security update have been held back?

My gosh, Mac OS X is complex software, not a tip calculator. Bind itself wouldn't have been difficult to update alone, but there could be dependencies and other security holes Apple wished to plug in the same security update. And/or risk assessment might have indicated bind could wait. Or I might just be pissing fizzy water.

[Zargyl]

Originally Posted by Malic

So, the biggest question of all, will 10.5.5 fix the driver issue for Diablo II / Starcraft on Nvidia Macs?

Re: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=490676

And World of Warcraft too!
As there have been loads of graphic driver problems since 10.5.3 (see e.g. http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...57755813&sid=1 ) with lots of ppl having to revert to 10.5.2 drivers because of them (and others - like myself - not updating past 10.5.2).
So I am doubly hopeful for this patch!

[sjoerd_visscher]

Timber!

[MartiNZ]

WTB fixes to graphical corruption fixes - in the spirit of someone having mentioned WoW .

Seriously though, those fixes along with sorting out sleep issues, networking reliability issues, and my favourite - making the iTunes dashboard widget work at all! Would be really nice.

It annoys me that they're not far off updating the MBPs and the last revision still has widespread graphics issues that have been paid no mind.

82 bug fixes sounds good, but so did 250+ in 10.5.3 and none of mine made it . I also like how open they are with this present security patch, re exactly what it fixes, way to go.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Foo2

My gosh, Mac OS X is complex software, not a tip calculator. Bind itself wouldn't have been difficult to update alone, but there could be dependencies and other security holes Apple wished to plug in the same security update. And/or risk assessment might have indicated bind could wait. Or I might just be pissing fizzy water.

That still doesn't answer your logical fallacy as to why you think a security update would be held back so an alpha release of a point update could be seeded to developers before the security update is released.

[aresee]

Originally Posted by Foo2

My gosh, Mac OS X is complex software, not a tip calculator. Bind itself wouldn't have been difficult to update alone, but there could be dependencies and other security holes Apple wished to plug in the same security update. And/or risk assessment might have indicated bind could wait. Or I might just be pissing fizzy water.

From the uproar I would say that a risk assessment would indicate that Apple should had dropped everything and gotten that BIND update out. When I hear so many security experts from so many different sources make these complaints I think it is serious and very risky.

You do know that until this update was released every Mac DNS Server was vulnerable to releasing incorrect IP addresses? And there was no way for us, the browser users to know that we were being redirected to the wrong site. And if we failed to respond correctly to security certificate warning we could even be redirected to phony https sites. This is very much a high level risk. Fixing this is more important than getting a private alpha release to a point update to the developers. 10.5.5 could have waited a week or two. This problem shouldn't have waited at all.

[Glaurung]

I am also a WoW addict and hope a lot for this update.

I am curious, how long does it normally take from developer testing to live release?

Thankful for answers.