Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.4 update

AppleInsider · June 30, 2008 4:16PM

Apple on Monday evening released Mac OS X 10.5.4, the latest significant revision to Leopard and a key part of its online strategy. Also, Security Update 2008-004 and Safari 3.1.2 for Tiger address security issues for earlier Mac OS X versions.

The update (59MB for 10.5.3 users) is considered an important precursor to Mac support for MobileMe, Apple's imminent sync and hosting service.

In addition to laying the groundwork for the future replacement for .Mac, the update is also key to fixing a number of major bugs identified since the release of Mac OS X 10.5.3, including an Adobe CS3 corruption bug with remote file saves and a chronic shutdown flaw.

Also mended with the fix are reliability with AirPort when on 5GHz 802.11a and 802.11n networks, iCal stability, access to secure websites with Safari, and a number of fixes for Exposé and Spaces.

Support for additional cameras' RAW photo formats has also been expanded, the company says.

Apple recommends the update for all Leopard users to improve the stability of their systems, and rolls in previous security updates released between Mac OS X 10.5.3 and the new update.

Additionally, the company has released Security Update 2008-004 for Mac OS X Tiger client (Intel, PowerPC) and Tiger Server (Intel, PowerPC) that bring security fixes built into Mac OS X 10.5.4 to the earlier operating systems, including protection against vulnerabilities in significant components such as CoreTypes, the Dock, SMB File Server, Ruby and Webkit.

A third update, Safari 3.1.2 for Mac OS X Tiger, fixes a specific flaw in WebKit (addressed for Leopard in 10.5.4) that would allow malicious JavaScript to either crash Safari or else allow running hostile code through the browser.

The full list of fixes in Mac OS X 10.5.4 follows below:

General

Includes recent Apple security updates.

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.

Improves L2TP VPN client reliability.

AirPort

Addresses AirPort reliability issues with 5GHz networks.

Addresses AirPort issues that may result in slower performance in Logic Studio or MainStage.

iCal

Improves overall iCal reliability for meeting requests, cancellation notices, delegation, and syncing with iPhone.

Resolves an issue that prevents deleting an iCal event without notifying the creator.

Addresses an issue in which events in all calendars affect availability. A checkbox now enables information-only calendars to be transparent from free/busy lookups.

Resolves a UI issue preventing delegated calendars from showing up as a separate window.

Addresses an issue with copying and pasting attendees from one event to another.

Resolves an issue in which iCal may not delete events after a speciﬁed time interval, even when set to do so in iCal preferences.

Addresses an issue in which To Dos cannot be marked private.

Safari

Addresses a potential performance issue when loading secure web pages.

Resolves issues that may be encountered when accessing secure web pages with client certificates that reside on a smart card.

Spaces and Exposé

Addresses an issue in which switching from a space with a Finder window keeps the Finder as the active application instead of the application residing in the destination space.

Fixes an issue in which dragging an application from the list of application assignments in Spaces System Preferences does not assign the application to the desired space.

Resolves an Exposé issue that may result in only a subset of windows being shown.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

wwwluckyro · June 30, 2008 4:24PM

I was expecting this update to have changed all .Mac references to MobileMe. I wonder how will Apple do this later in July. A small update maybe?

solipsism · June 30, 2008 4:39PM

FYI: This is build 9E17. The same as the developer build released last Tuesday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwwluckyro

I was expecting this update to have changed all .Mac references to MobileMe. I wonder how will Apple do this later in July. A small update maybe?

They can always roll it into the iTunes 7.7 update.

mcarling · June 30, 2008 4:49PM

10.5.5 might be another smaller release and include support for Montevina systems.

jimzip · June 30, 2008 5:12PM

Mmmexcellent!

I loves me a little OS update...

Jimzip

bloggerblog · June 30, 2008 5:13PM

Does anyone know if this update resolves any of the following issues:

1- InDesign not hiding properly.

2- Remembering share-point log-ins after sign-in.

3- Wireless authentication delays after waking-up from sleep.

Any new bugs?

martinz · June 30, 2008 5:36PM

Doesn't fix any of the bugs I was hoping it would, but no new ones yet either, so neutral status from my point of view.

doughboy · June 30, 2008 5:46PM

FYI, the combo updater is located here:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...mboupdate.html

.mac · June 30, 2008 5:46PM

just updated and found no change !

irnchriz · June 30, 2008 5:50PM

I have an iMac 3.06Ghz and the update from 10.5.3 to 10.5.4 was an 87mb download.

mcarling · June 30, 2008 5:52PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irnchriz

I have an iMac 3.06Ghz and the update from 10.5.3 to 10.5.4 was an 87mb download.

It was 59MB for my MacBook Air.

lostkiwi · June 30, 2008 6:04PM

Does anyone know if this Security Update addresses the Applescript THT Trojan that has been floating around?

I haven't heard that much about it actually, anyone have any views on it?

mariofreak85 · June 30, 2008 6:15PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwwluckyro

I was expecting this update to have changed all .Mac references to MobileMe. I wonder how will Apple do this later in July. A small update maybe?

maybe it will be a "magic update" like web galleries for the iPhone

wiggin · June 30, 2008 6:42PM

Anybody know when was the last time Apple added any new phones to the iSync compatibility list? Even though the banner at the top of the page says "Mac OS X Leopard" I think that just got slapped on all of the OS X pages when Leopard came out. The notes at the bottom say the page lists phones compatible iSync version 2.4, yet we are now on version 3.0.2.

Does Apple expect everyone to run out and buy an iPhone? Ain't gonna happen. iSync (the application) is practically useless. Yet another one of Apple's cool ideas ignored into oblivion.

barstep · June 30, 2008 6:44PM

I used Software Update and when I was asked to allow a restart it wrote all the files and then my MacBook Pro stalled.

I had a bootable backup but first I held down the power button and forced a restart. It booted up apparently OK so I downloaded the Update .dmg and ran the install from that. It went through the process again, restarted and now seems fine.

I've no idea what went wrong but no tears in the end.

mdriftmeyer · June 30, 2008 6:52PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwwluckyro

I was expecting this update to have changed all .Mac references to MobileMe. I wonder how will Apple do this later in July. A small update maybe?

I would expect a UNIX Operating system infrastructure to manage their ln -s at the adminstrative levels, application level, framework levels and configuration levels.

mr. h · June 30, 2008 7:07PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostkiwi

Does anyone know if this Security Update addresses the Applescript THT Trojan that has been floating around?

By doing what? Telling users not to install applications that they know nothing about and were sent to them by someone they don't know via email?

Trojan Horses do not exploit OS security vulnerabilities and there is therefore nothing for Apple to do in this instance.

mactel · June 30, 2008 7:10PM

Looks like no UI changes at all. Apple seems to be saving those for Snow Leopard. As well as any previews of coming technology like they did with Boot Camp.

solsun · June 30, 2008 7:16PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacTel

Looks like no UI changes at all. Apple seems to be saving those for Snow Leopard. As well as any previews of coming technology like they did with Boot Camp.

There are generally not any UI changes in a point update..

kt0157 · June 30, 2008 7:20PM

The update includes firmware for Time Capsule and the Extreme. I had problems with Time Capsule with the new firmware: it refused to find the DHCP server, and lots of other stubborn networking problems. I had to do a factory reset to get it to work again (it's fine now).

steviet02 · June 30, 2008 7:26PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. H

By doing what? Telling users not to install applications that they know nothing about and were sent to them by someone they don't know via email?

Trojan Horses do not exploit OS security vulnerabilities and there is therefore nothing for Apple to do in this instance.

No, actually if I understood the way the trojan horse took advantage was to exploit an issue with ARD allowing root access when it was inactive. That surely seems like a security issue.

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.4 update

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