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Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.1.4

Posted by pudge on from the me-first dept.

terbor writes "Networking, security, and authoring support seem to be the biggest improvements found in this update released this afternoon. Not available for download yet, but it can be found in your Software Update panel." I would have posted this sooner, but I had to download it first. :-)

20 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Just Installed by tps12 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Just installed it via the good ol' Software Update utility. So far, everything is normal. I'm so used to the Windows updater which normall breaks something. So, what do I do with all this extra time?

    What sad times when "it didn't break anything" is what passes for a good review.

    I for one am a big fan of Changelogs. Apple's Software Update descriptions are always a little lacking IMO ("OS X 10.1.4 Update: adds 0.0.1 units of operating system updatedness to your computer").

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
  2. Re:Just Installed by wholesomegrits · · Score: 2

    Hell no! That breaking of shit when new shit is installed is Job Security.

    --
    No sig is worth reading.
  3. PPP BUG IS FIXED!!!! by ahknight · · Score: 2

    The PPP bug that Apple jettisoned Finlay Dobie's ADC account for is fixed in this version. Interesting, isn't it? =)

  4. Clamshell mode fixed? by greygent · · Score: 2

    Can anyone confirm or deny that the bug with the not being able to use a TiBook 667 with JUST an external monitor, and the lid closed has been fixed?

    1. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by Silas · · Score: 3, Informative
      Can anyone confirm or deny that the bug with the not being able to use a TiBook 667 with JUST an external monitor, and the lid closed has been fixed?

      I was on the phone with Apple Care today and, while solving an unrelated problem, indicated my frustration about this issue. The tech explained it was a thermal/design issue - the system would get too hot and possibly cause damage to components. The fact that this was still the party line on the day of the OS update would indicate that the lid will stay open for a while.

    2. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by greygent · · Score: 2

      Which is a load of dung explanation. When I call Apple about it, they run me through hoops, and act like it's a new issue.

      They could just as easily make it so one could crack the lid open a bit, whilst keeping the display disabled.

      Even better, they could fucking speed up Aqua a bit, so we wouldn't HAVE to use clamshell mode due to slowness issues.

    3. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by greygent · · Score: 2

      Are you a mechanical or thermal or for that matter any kind of engineer? Probably not.

      No, but I am a TiBook owner, and it works fine (for days, even) in clamshell mode in OS9 on the same laptop.

      You dont want your computer to crash nor your the plastic keys to warp when the heat is trapped, do you?

      They could easily just code in a piece that lets you keep the clamshell open, but the LCD disabled.

      Also, how in the world do you think that 'clamshell' mode speeds up your computer?

      Because I am a clued computer user. A clued user who has obviously (except to you) tried the TiBook in both ways.

      You see, in clamshell mode, you don't have to extend your desktop across two monitors. Thus, your computer doesn't have to work to process bits for both a 1154x768 display AND a 1600x1200 display.

      In layman's terms, the more resolution a computer has to deal with, the slower it gets. Especially with the current slowness of Aqua.

      Using them in mirror mode does not cause a noticeable slowdown, but it was obvious that's not what I'm talking about.

    4. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by irony+nazi · · Score: 2
      I'm a materials science engineer (MS and a few years of experience with plastics & ceramics). Please allow me to state that, my TiBook 667 has been left with the lid down, but for some reason, not in sleep mode for more than 24 hours. The entire time the fan was blowing, because the processor must have been doing something (probably running Mozilla or something).

      When I came back and realized that the fan had been on for this amount of time, I opened up the lid, but the TiBook wouldn't wake up. It was very hot to the touch, but no warped keys, damaged LCD, whatever.

      Anyways, this happened again, later.

      Moral of the story? I don't know. Probably that you should always select "Sleep" from the menu before you close your TiBooks flap.

      --

      Bringing irony to the Slash-masses
    5. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by greygent · · Score: 2

      In addition, the manual states in at least two places that the PBG4 can be used in "Display Closed" (Clam Shell) mode:

      Pg. 53
      Using your PowerBook With the Display Closed
      You can use your PowerBook with the display closed if the computer is connected to an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and the power adapter.

      To operate your computer with an external monitor attached and the display closed, do the following:

      Pg. 97:
      External Monitor in Display Closed Mode

      When the PowerBook display is closed, an external VGA monitor supports the following resolutions

      There is a PDF of the PowerBook G4 manual online, and I have verified that the above excerpts have not been changed at all. Nor is there any mention of excessive heat in the manual. This would then be a product defect, and some sort of recall would probably need to take place.

      PDF of PowerBook G4 Manual:
      http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?a rtnum=501 20

    6. Re:Clamshell mode fixed? by greygent · · Score: 2

      This is what those of us who use 10.1.2 or below have to do. This doesn't work on any version higher than 10.1.2.

      Clamshell/Lid Closed mode is listed in the PBG4 manual in multiple places as a feature. There may be heat issues, but this is contrary to what the manual says.

  5. Re:Just Installed by Gogo+Dodo · · Score: 4, Informative

    There are some minimal release notes. There are extensive release notes for a developer's point of view in the TechNotes Library, but they are only up to 10.1.3.

  6. Re:Just Installed by dhovis · · Score: 5, Informative
    Huh?
    Update 10.1.4 delivers improved networking, security, and additional disc recording device support. Specific enhancements include:

    Disc Recording Devices:

    • Updated and new support for Fast 10 SCSI drives, including the Pioneer 201 drive.
    • Expanded support for SmartDisk, EZQuest, and LaCie disc recording devices.

    Networking Improvements:

    • Dial-up connections over PPP are more reliable and system responsiveness has been improved.
    • Significant improvement to file searching on local and remote volumes.
    • Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) services can be browsed on networks with 3Com routers.

    Security Update:

    • BSD-based TCP/IP connections now check and block broadcast or multicast IP destination addresses.

    Seems pretty clear to me from a end user perspective. This is what Software Update told me.

    What sad times when "it didn't break anything" is what passes for a good review.

    This is a bugfix release. It seems to only fix a few obscure bugs and most users shouldn't notice any difference. "It didn't break anything" is the best review possible for this kind of release.

    --

    --
    The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.

  7. more of a lack than a bug but... by nwanua · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where is "Lip Service" for Mail? That was a nifty piece of work. Small, and it worked. I've been waiting for a year now, but no "Lip Service". I know there are other apps to record with, and I've tried rolling my own (getting frustrated
    in the process, since I can't just do a `cat /dev/mic >> foo.aiff` ). If anyone feels the way I do, maybe we can roll out something like it together.

    Welp, here's to hoping PPP won't hang my TiBook for a minute then say "The other side is not responding"... uh...

  8. Is it just me... by joedames · · Score: 2, Funny

    or does it seems snappier?

  9. update broke system folder... by Juanvaldes · · Score: 2, Informative

    I have a dual 450 G4 and after I updated the system lost track of my system folder. I restarted again holding down option (for those of you new to the mac OS holding down option will let you select which drive/partition to boot off of, I have X on one and 9 on the other as backup) and gave X another shot and it worked that time. just fair warning.

  10. Cut this Kid some slack... by Spencerian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've been reading enough whiny posts about Mac OS X's speed and stability to ask everyone a single important question:

    How much usefulness did you get out of Windows 1.0? Out of Linux 1.0?

    Mac OS X is the culmination of many tried and true technologies and a few new ones. For a 1.0 product (which it really is as opposed to merely a tenth OS revision of the Mac OS), it's got a LOT of power and potential.

    I've used Macs since their move to the hierarchal file system (true nesting of subdirectories). That was 1986 or so. The Finder at the time wasn't close to multitasking anything like Mac OS 8, there was no such thing as virtual memory, the Mac Plus was a rather underpowered little beast...

    ....and nothing could tear it from my fingers, because there was still nothing like it.

    The original Mac OS took 17 years to mature to what it is now. That's a long time in computing years, and Apple won't have that much luxury to make OS X as robust and mature.

    But, considering the code base and the venerable ancestry that BSD and Mach have had, this is a beautiful, powerful baby. Flawed, to be sure, but how much productive work has your 1 year old done?

    The 10.2 update will continue the speed increases. By 10.5, perhaps in less than 2 years this OS will be righteous.

    Just don't treat it like OS 9 or you'll hose it good (don't move standard apps from Applications or get too crazy yet). This is a Macintosh operating system, and Apple's a little new to this UNIX desktop thing.

    --
    Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
    1. Re:Cut this Kid some slack... by new500 · · Score: 2

      . . .

      Apple's a little new to this UNIX desktop thing.

      Erm, not really, there's AUX, oh and a little thing called NeXTStep and even UNIX for the Lisa (mention only). You might add MAE the Macintosh Application Environment which was written for Solaris and HP/UX, or to a far lesser extent (because it's hard to say that this was other than a split away organisation eventually subsumed by IBM and turned into frameworks for VisualAge amongst other things), the Taligent OO-OS initiative, which was targetted to interoperate with AIX at least at one stage in its life.

      Since Jobs left Apple - 1988 iirc - Job's has been involved in UNIX on the desktop. It's no secret that the NeXT technologists / staffers supplanted the previous Apple corporate hierarchy.

      Some interesting reading is this USENIX paper The Challenges of Integrating the UNIX and Mac OS environments.

      My point is that Apple has a fair deal of relevant experience, and the NeXT - Apple merger is almost distant history, in corporate terms, when Be Inc. seemed to have a chance. And man, that feels a long time ago, even though it isn't _that_ long :)

  11. Re:Just Installed by ahknight · · Score: 2
    Change log is in KBase article 106859. Important part below:

    * Resolves a potential delay that could occur when connecting to the Internet using a dial-up modem (PPP connection).
    * Improves compatibility with certain single- and dual-channel SCSI cards.
    * Reduces time needed for Sherlock file searches.
    * Improves usability of Sherlock when searching a Mac OS X Server volume.
    * Enhances security with increased TCP broadcast address communication filtering.
    * Improves compatibility with certain third-party network routers (AppleTalk source sockets 128 or higher are now used).
  12. Use the source by Cadre · · Score: 2
    The tech explained it was a thermal/design issue - the system would get too hot and possibly cause damage to components.

    Someone on the kernel development list was inquired about this the other week. He eventually was able to modify the kernel to prevent it from sleeping when the lid closed. Check the archives, you might want to email him and release the patches.

    --
    All editorial writers ever do is come down from the hill after the battle is over and shoot the wounded.
    1. Re:Use the source by greygent · · Score: 2

      Which kernel list was this? I am browsing through the (relatively low traffic) darwin kernel list on apple.com and don't see anything.

      I was actually beginning to examine the darwin source code last night to try and write a fix, but the code isn't really commented much, and Apple insists on using obscure codenames for everything (Heathrow, Idjit, etc).

      If you could narrow my search down for me, this would help me greatly. I suspect the change needs to take place in a KEXT, actually, instead of the kernel itself.

      In short, please help :) Any info appreciated.