Apple releases Mac OS X 10.6.3 with QuickTime X, OpenGL improvements

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Apple on Monday released Mac OS X 10.6.3, the latest software update to its Snow Leopard operating system, bringing improvements in the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X and addressing compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications.



Apple said the 10.6.3 update is recommended for all users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The update weighs in at 437.2 MB and is available via Software Update.



A brief list of enhancements, fixes and updates featured in Mac OS X 10.6.3, according to Apple, follows:



Improves the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X

Addresses compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications

Addresses an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail

Resolves an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications

Resolves an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers

Improves performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode

Improves sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand

Addresses a color issue in iMovie with HD content

Improves printing reliability

Resolves issues with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server

Improves the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices

Fix glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera

Beta testing of Mac OS X 10.6.3 began in early January, and Apple carried out testing with a number of private betas issued to its developer community over the last few months.



The last major update to Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.2, came last November, when Apple addressed a guest account bug that could result in a user's account data being accidentally deleted. The update also added native support for the company's new multi-touch Magic Mouse.



Apple on Monday also issued a more extensive list of features and updates in Mac OS X 10.6.3. The detailed information follows:



General operating system fixes and improvements provided for:

performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode.

printing reliability.

sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand.

a color issue in iMovie with HD content.

glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera.

an issue in which the Finder reports a -36 error when copying directories to a drive formatted as FAT32.

reliability of photo screen savers.

compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications.

an issue in which shadows in PDF of Aperture book are black instead of gray.

an issue in which the microphone level in iChat may not increase the volume after reducing it to prevent a feedback event.

the reliability of certain third-party USB devices.

the Accounts preference pane can now limit login to members of groups hosted by a non-Apple directory service, such as Active Directory.

DNS server ordering as specified in Network Preferences and DNS reliability. For details about how Mac OS X v10.6 handles unresponsive DNS servers, see this article.

the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X.

Data Collection: Mac OS X v10.6.3 can collect diagnostic and usage information from your Mac and send it to Apple for analysis automatically. The information is only collected with your explicit consent, and is submitted anonymously to Apple.

AirPort and wireless networking fixes for:

general reliability for wireless connections.

improvements to 802.1X reliability, including closed network connections , and WPA2.

sleep/wake reliability for current iMac models when connected to 2.4GHz wireless networks.

Date and Time fixes provided for:

Daylight Saving Time rules to reflect recent changes in areas including Argentina, Fiji, Pakistan, and Antarctica.

Directory Services fixes provided for:

an issue that could cause the system to become unstable or unresponsive when bound to an LDAP server using SSL.

an issue in which the 802.1X Loginwindow Profile is in place, but the wireless network is not available, directory authentication over Ethernet will now succeed.

File Services fixes provided for:

an issue that could prevent saving files from Microsoft Office 2008 to an SMB server volume.

issues copying, renaming or deleting files on an SMB server volume.

clear-text authentication enabling to an SMB file server.

iCal fixes provided for:

changing the invitation list for a single instance of a recurring event will no longer "un-book" the location of the meeting.

an issue in which new invitations on a Microsoft Exchange server might not appear in the Notification pane.

properly showing recurring Microsoft Exchange events which have a set end date.

Mail fixes and improvements provided for:

an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail.

signing and encrypting messages, such as when using an Entrust PKI (Public Key Infrastructure).

synchronization of the "Sent" mailbox on a Microsoft Exchange server.

an issue that could cause Mail to delete mailboxes on a Microsoft Exchange server that is hosted behind an Internet load balancer.

Mobile Accounts fixes and improvements provided for:

home directory synchronization when the home directory is stored on an SMB file server.

properly warning mobile users in an Active Directory domain about upcoming password expiration.

creating a Mobile Account that uses smart card authentication, without using a command-line tool.

reliability in background synchronization.

MobileMe fixes and improvements provided for:

an issue in which movies could not be viewed in Safari when visiting www.me.com/gallery.

reliability of iDisk Sync.

reliability of syncing calendars.

Parental Control fixes and improvements provided for:

restoring Safari bookmarks functionality to parental controls users.

better handling of Safari bookmark management when using Parental Controls.

more reliable application launch restrictions when using Parental Control.

Rosetta fixes provided for:

an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications.

System Imaging fixes and improvements provided for:

the asr command, which now accepts the "--allow fragmented catalog" option, for restoring images that have a fragmented catalog file. For details, type man asr in Terminal.

the installer command, which can now be used to upgrade a Mac OS X v10.5 system with a QuickTime 7 Pro key installed to Mac OS X v10.6.

Time Machine fixes and improvements provided for:

reliability from Time Machine-to-Time Capsule backups, including multiple computers.

an issue with Time Machine in which system backups could be restored onto unsupported Mac configurations.

an issue in which a Time Machine backup might not work using an AirPort connection.

Xsan fixes and improvements provided for:

the reliability of Fibre channel connections to an Xserve RAID.

an issue that could cause the size of certain Fibre channel LUNs to be mis-reported.

Also released was Mac OS X Server 10.6.3. The 831.31 MB download is available direct from Apple.



Also Monday, Apple issued Security Update 2010-002 for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The update requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 and is available for the client version (78.39 MB), as well as server (361.40 MB).
«13456789

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 172
    it just keeps getting better!

    it's snappier and just works!
  • Reply 2 of 172
    I wonder how much the "OpenGL Improvements" will help out Valve's games via Steam coming next month.
  • Reply 3 of 172
    dr millmossdr millmoss Posts: 5,403member
    But Preview remains broken. Sigh.
  • Reply 4 of 172
    cory bauercory bauer Posts: 1,286member
    I wonder if QuickTime X will still take 30 times longer to save a 1080p movie trailer than QuickTime 7 does.
  • Reply 5 of 172
    Great! Downloading..............
  • Reply 6 of 172
    Hope it fixes my machine or I have to downgrade to plain old Leopard. Don't want to but my iLife apps and dictionary keep quitting unexpectedly. Also downloads folder keeps vanishing from dock, date in iCal icon in dock is always a day behind, can't email a picture and then empty the trash without closing mail first. Several other little bugs.



    Hope it works.
  • Reply 7 of 172
    dr millmossdr millmoss Posts: 5,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    Hope it fixes my machine or I have to downgrade to plain old Leopard. Don't want to but my iLife apps and dictionary keep quitting unexpectedly. Also downloads folder keeps vanishing from dock, date in iCal icon in dock is always a day behind, can't email a picture and then empty the trash without closing mail first. Several other little bugs.



    Hope it works.



    This is not at all normal. You have something else going on. To start, I'd suggest creating a new user and seeing if the problems persist in that account.
  • Reply 8 of 172
    svnippsvnipp Posts: 430member
    I'm hoping that the OpenGL fixes also help with the new Fallen Earth Mac beta client that I just installed yesterday. Having some very strange video behavior in it. Anything that helps bring more Windows game ports to the Mac is a good thing, a really, really good thing.
  • Reply 9 of 172
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacHarborGuy View Post


    I wonder how much the "OpenGL Improvements" will help out Valve's games via Steam coming next month.



    Whilst I have no sources or expertise, I gather from what I've heard that it is a big improvement that makes a big difference. Valve will be developing for 10.6.3 rather then before.



    Also, before 10.6.3 was even out at least one game (Settlers 7) listed 10.6.3 as a requirement, when the game was released before 10.6.3 was.



    Again, I have nothing definite but hearsay but I gather it's required.
  • Reply 10 of 172
    denmarudenmaru Posts: 208member
    I can't find a page on Apple's Website for downloading the Combo-Update. Does anyone know where to find it?
  • Reply 11 of 172
    for some reason my update is 757MB. Maybe I have more updates? It's weird. Here's a link to the screenshot: http://bit.ly/cAPu2n
  • Reply 12 of 172
    New Macs tomorrow?
  • Reply 13 of 172
    Has anyone actually seen any new features in Quicktime X. I still use QTPro 7 mosy of the time cause QT X is so crippled.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple on Monday released Mac OS X 10.6.3, the latest software update to its Snow Leopard operating system, bringing improvements in the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X and addressing compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications. ][/url][/c]



  • Reply 14 of 172
    What I would have liked to see:
    • Reconnect to Apple Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard after safe sleep work 100% of the time (instead of 90% requiring a hard restart every other 10%)

    • Spelling auto-correct work in German (now it's unusable because it replaces perfectly correct words with nonexisting ones, can't replace with words with full-stop (ie etc->etc., this will produce many more full-stops which cannot easily be deleted)

    • don't bread and reconnect to my WLAN router every other minute (might also be the router, but doesn't happen with PCs or iPod Touch)

    Can't think of the other quirks right now, and my Mac is 500 miles away...
  • Reply 15 of 172
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacHarborGuy View Post


    I wonder how much the "OpenGL Improvements" will help out Valve's games via Steam coming next month.



    OPen GL 4.0 is already being addd to GPUs. Of course, Windows will likely add support long before Apple does.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cory Bauer View Post


    I wonder if QuickTime X will still take 30 times longer to save a 1080p movie trailer than QuickTime 7 does.



    30X longer? You seriously expect anyone to believe that?
  • Reply 16 of 172
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Denmaru View Post


    I can't find a page on Apple's Website for downloading the Combo-Update. Does anyone know where to find it?



    You have to wait a little while for it to show up on the website.
  • Reply 17 of 172
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    Snappier!
  • Reply 18 of 172
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    Hope it fixes my machine [. . . ]



    As Dr. Millmoss said, you've got something else going on. The very first thing you should do is create another user account and see if the trouble persists.



    I suspect that it will, so you may want to run Apple Hardware Test software (if you have it), take your system in to have it examined or even try a fresh installation of the Mac OS X 10.6 software to a new/blank disk. You may have something else getting ready to fail, and it would be a VERY good idea to figure out what that is before you lose or corrupt your valuable data!



    Mac OS X in all recent releases (10.3 and newer) is very reliable unless you have hardware problems. Then it will fall down, and oftentimes in strange ways. (Some may differ with me on this, but I did not find 10.2.8 and all prior OS X releases to be stable enough. They ran OK as uptime went, but I had problems with things that mysteriously stopped working due to messed up configuration files. I did not find hardware issues in those cases, and later Mac OS X revisions fixed the problems when I upgraded.)
  • Reply 19 of 172
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post


    Snappier!



    When u say snappier, what do u mean? whats faster?

    anyone that's downloaded the update can answer this question

    Thanks
  • Reply 20 of 172
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Denmaru View Post


    I can't find a page on Apple's Website for downloading the Combo-Update. Does anyone know where to find it?



    It's here...

    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1017
Sign In or Register to comment.