Sixth beta of Mac OS X 10.6.4 seeded by Apple, clear of issues
Apple this week issued another beta of its forthcoming security and maintenance update for Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.4, with the latest build remaining free of known issues.
People familiar with the matter said build 10F564 weighs in at 600MB -- roughly 20MB larger than the previous build. Developers were reportedly asked to focus on Graphics Drivers, SMB, USB, VoiceOver and VPN.
The last beta, build 10F58, was issued to developers last Tuesday. It, too, was said to be clear of issues.
The last few builds have all contained the same focus areas and enhancements, and this week's update is no different. The updates addressed issues that could cause the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive, and also fixed a problem that prevented some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from loading.
Apple first began widespread testing of Mac OS X 10.6.4 in late April. The previous update to Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.3, was released at the end of March. It included improvements for QuickTime X and OpenGL-based applications, in the form of a 437.2MB update.
People familiar with the matter said build 10F564 weighs in at 600MB -- roughly 20MB larger than the previous build. Developers were reportedly asked to focus on Graphics Drivers, SMB, USB, VoiceOver and VPN.
The last beta, build 10F58, was issued to developers last Tuesday. It, too, was said to be clear of issues.
The last few builds have all contained the same focus areas and enhancements, and this week's update is no different. The updates addressed issues that could cause the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive, and also fixed a problem that prevented some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from loading.
Apple first began widespread testing of Mac OS X 10.6.4 in late April. The previous update to Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.3, was released at the end of March. It included improvements for QuickTime X and OpenGL-based applications, in the form of a 437.2MB update.
Comments
Looks like it's time for this puppy to be released! I imagine later today or tomorrow evening.
Has Apple ever released a final version so quickly after a beta (same day or next day)?
I don't think so.
Take your time, Apple. Get it right. Don't rush it.
(stupid mouse settings change for ~3s every time I switch between programs)
I wonder if these "graphics driver fixes" mean improved Steam performance to bring it on par with Windows performance on the same systems. Also, can't wait for my MacBook keyboard to register every single stroke I make... has been plaguing me since... forever actually, even on Leopard.
It's quite possible that there will be some performance improvements in OpenGL and/or the graphics drivers, but I wouldn't expect the performance deficit to be fixed overnight. It will likely require multiple updates from both Valve and Apple.
That said, any performance improvements would be very welcome.
Looks like Snow Leopard is finally polished, hopefully iLife will be updated at WWDC and I'll be ready to get my new 15" anti-glare MacBook Pro and a Ubuntu netbook. (the iPad is not a option)
The iPad is not...what did that have to do with anything? More than whining in general that is...
/Ferrari is not an option
Yep iPad is a little pricey, but 2 million of these puppies were sold, that's impressive.
/Aston Martin is not an option either
I wonder if these "graphics driver fixes" mean improved Steam performance to bring it on par with Windows performance on the same systems.
How do you define on par? PC performance is a sliding scale based upon the graphics card and processor, plus driver refinement and OS. I doubt that two identical graphics card would be the same on either platform. Direct X is heavily optimized and coded for, where OpenGL isn't really used outside of the new Valve ventures and id. I think within 10 frames a second would be considered on par.
Certainly wouldn't want the keyboard to be responsive...
check your batteries or your connection.
Has Apple ever released a final version so quickly after a beta (same day or next day)?
I don't think so.
Take your time, Apple. Get it right. Don't rush it.
Well they've got to release it sometime. It's not like this is a .0 release. If this build is as stable (from reading here on AppleInsider and elsewhere, it's pretty much ready.
Also not to mention, Apple is typically a few builds ahead of what they release to developers. I know when I worked at Apple, when Mac OS 10.0 was still in development, we were at least a dozen or so builds ahead of what the ADC members would get.
Apple have their own Q/A testers where their primary job is to try to make the OS crash and boom. They are only relying on public developers to test their applications with the beta builds to make sure their apps do not create conflicts.
How do you define on par? PC performance is a sliding scale based upon the graphics card and processor, plus driver refinement and OS. I doubt that two identical graphics card would be the same on either platform. Direct X is heavily optimized and coded for, where OpenGL isn't really used outside of the new Valve ventures and id. I think within 10 frames a second would be considered on par.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/val...mac,10432.html
Portal on a Macbook Pro:
32 fps on OSX, 58fps on Windows 7 with same display settings.
That's almost double
Well they've got to release it sometime. It's not like this is a .0 release. If this build is as stable (from reading here on AppleInsider and elsewhere, it's pretty much ready.
Also not to mention, Apple is typically a few builds ahead of what they release to developers. I know when I worked at Apple, when Mac OS 10.0 was still in development, we were at least a dozen or so builds ahead of what the ADC members would get.
Apple have their own Q/A testers where their primary job is to try to make the OS crash and boom. They are only relying on public developers to test their applications with the beta builds to make sure their apps do not create conflicts.
Look, we're not doubting that Apple is going to release 10.6.x at some point. Also, we understand that Apple has their own internal QA team and that they would be several builds ahead.
However, the whole point of seeding developer betas is to get feedback. It would be naive to think that a few hours of testing would give Apple enough useful information. Apple wants the betas to be tested in a wide variety of real life hardware-software situations, something that requires time and diligence, especially since developers aren't getting any remuneration for their efforts.
VPN? Is there integrated VPN in OS X? Is it mm?
Yes there is... Using it every day and it's great (L2TP over IPsec, PTPP, Cisco IPsec). It's one of the best new features of Snow Leopard if you ask me
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/val...mac,10432.html
Portal on a Macbook Pro:
32 fps on OSX, 58fps on Windows 7 with same display settings.
That's almost double
Agreed. It's possible that we'll see an increase in performance now that Valve is on the platform. Valve said that Apple has worked closely with them and that they are helping Apple with gaming stability and performance.
That said, it was interesting to see that Valve announced that Macs were much more stable then Windows machines when gaming. The Steam clients report many statistics to Valve and they announced that Macs crash far less. I'd hate to lose stability for speed.
Looks like Snow Leopard is finally polished, hopefully iLife will be updated at WWDC and I'll be ready to get my new 15" anti-glare MacBook Pro and a Ubuntu netbook. (the iPad is not a option)
I had to revert to 10.6.2 on my iMac as it became unstable an continuously froze under 10.6.3. Here's hoping to a polished update. The other lovely glossy screened machines had no issues.
I too would love an updated iLife. The suite needs some love, for sure.
The iPad option is already taken. Its a thing of beauty and a joy to use.
The Aston MartinDB9 is not an option. (DOH!)