Mac OS X 10.3.3 Update Released

joelhayhurst writes "Mac OS X 10.3.3 is now available via Software Update. Full details are available on the Apple site - key enhancements include: 'Network volumes are now available in the Finder sidebar and Desktop for easier access... Improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS) and PC (SMB/CIFS) networks... Improved PostScript and USB printing... Updated Disk Utility, DVD Player, Image Capture, Mail and Safari applications... Additional support for FireWire and USB devices... Improved compatibility for third party applications... Previous standalone security updates and Bluetooth Update 1.5."

Comments

Downloading it now...

[Kethinov]

Funny. I was downloading the update only a few minutes before this article was posted.

I sure do hope the improvements to the SMB protocol are substantial. I've had no end of problems using it to access SMB shares on Windows and Unix. :(

YES YES YES

[reconbot]

You have no idea how much

Finder and applications that allow you to browse the file system will now refresh the contents of a remote network volume's folder or directory when the folder's contents change.

and

Addresses an issue in which Finder unexpectedly quits if the View menu option "Show icon preview" is enabled while dragging a significant number of icons to another location.

mean to me.

When ever I used a network share and I changed something from the server or from another computer I'd have to play with the finder for a long time to get it to refresh.

I happen to like the icon preview and I had it on globally by default. The first time I hooked up my digital camera the finder jumped to 100% cpu usage and stayed that way even after generating all the thumbnails.

I'm glad they're fixing these bugs.

-Francis

Re:YES YES YES

[Maserati]

Procrastination pays off again ! At the office we have one Appletalk Zone split over 4 TCP/IP subnets. It hasn't been showing up in 10.3.2 under the Netwrok sidebar in the Finder. I've been meaning to "look into that", but I've been stuck planning a font audit (the last thing you EVER want to do in a design shop) lately. 10.3.3 comes along and there it is !

Thanks Apple - even if it did take three updates.

Mail.app bug

[OmniVector]

They STILL haven't fixed the Mail.app bug that i probably submitted in October last year. If you use a mail server with imap-ssl that doesn't have a verified certificate, you get a pop up complaining whenever you open mail. If you click show certificate, there's a certificate icon you can supposedly drag to the desktop and then use in keychain according to apple's support webpages. Well, dragging that image still crashes Mail.app (and hard).

I always figured "complete crash" bugs were high priority. sigh.

Re:Mail.app bug

[weave]

That works for unsigned certs, but not for signed certs where you have your own CA (where it can't run the chain to a trusted root cert). Do you know how to install a new CA into OS X? I tried to insert into keychain, still doesn't work.

And by the way, I get the same hard crash that the parent poster said.

Network Browser fixed and iPhoto 4 blurring fixed

[calstraycat]

The 10.3 Finder's Network Browser now seems to be finished:

1 - Connected servers now appear on the Desktop and in the Sidebar when the preferences have been set for this option.

2 - Connected servers can be ejected via normal means.

3 - Password options are now present including Keychain functions.

4 - User folders no longer appear twice.

I'm a happy camper.

Also, a blurring problem when in edit mode in iPhoto 4 appears to be fixed as well.

The mysterious freezing bug

[Avumede]

Here's hoping the mysterious freezing bug a lot of people have experienced, including me, is fixed. It was evidently introduced in 10.3.2.

Re:Disk space usage bug fixed?

[Hes Nikke]

this is less of a but and more of the finder being stupid.

i NEVER, EVER trust what the finder says because it only updates that figure once every 10 minutes or so. a much more reliable option is to open up the terminal and run df -h. this tells you the current usage information for all mounted disks. (rather than the free space of the disk that is up to 10 minutes out of date) just like in every other unix environment.

the good news is that this update does have the finder updating other stuff correctly, so this may be covered. i still won't ever trust it again.

Re:Give me a whole new (old) Finder

[capmilk]

The pre-OS X Finder was fine for a few folders with a limited number of files. OS X on the other hand has so many directories and soooo many files that column view is the best way to deal with it most of the time.

Sure it would be nice to sort by date in column view - but there has to be something to "invent" in 10.4, right?

mLAN

[Steve Cowan]

Of particular interest to audio professionals, this update includes native mLAN support.

mLAN is a standard developed by Yamaha which allows lots of audio and MIDI info to travel over FireWire.

Yamaha's hottest new box, the 01X, has been without OS X drivers since it began shipping a month ago, and as of today it will finally work (in theory anyway)...

Of course time will tell how effective this new version of mLAN will be in terms of latency and stability. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some downloading to do!

Re:If you've modified your /etc/rc file..

[c13v3rm0nk3y]

I've been burned by this one too many times on a variety of UNIX systems. I've had a policy for some time now that all edits to precious config files (regardless of where they reside) are done against an RCS archive.

A simple rcsdiff now tells you exactly what has changed so you can accept or edit, lock, and checkin your munged changes to the archive. A bit more straight-forward than trying to figure out which installer-created backup copy is the last "good" one.

Guards against accidental deletion, as well. Also especially helpful when testing with a variety of settings for a new daemon you are configuring. You can always go back to a known good condition, and/or save those clever tweaks for posterity!

Remember kids: ci -u is your friend.

3d Modellers Untie!

[log0n]

(hehe)

Anti-aliased lines have long been borq'n under Panther, but no longer! AA lines now work properly with both my GF4MX card and Powerbooks Radeon 9600 (Maya & C4D).