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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."

69 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Downloading it now... by Kethinov · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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. :(

    --
    You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    1. Re:Downloading it now... by notsoclever · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Really? My experience has been just the opposite - MacOS has had better SMB access for me than Windows! Though I've only tried connecting to Samba shares.

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
    2. Re:Downloading it now... by Kethinov · · Score: 3, Informative

      My biggiest issue is I have to "connect to server" then type cifs://netbiosname/sharename

      It works, but if you just browse the samba network with finder, then try to connect to a server by selecting it and hitting "connect" it doesn't work right.

      --
      You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    3. Re:Downloading it now... by austad · · Score: 4, Informative

      Using the Finder to access a Windows 2003 SMB share with encryption enabled does not work in 10.3.2. You can use the smbclient utility to do it though, even though it's a hassle.

      Anyone want to test this to see if it works through the finder now?

      --
      Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
    4. Re:Downloading it now... by cioxx · · Score: 5, Informative

      Hit Command+K in finder, it'll bring up the connect dialogue. type in the share name, Add it to the list of favorites (plus sign) and it should stay there.

      Anytime you need to connect to that server, you won't need manual typing. Just Command+K ==> Select share ==> Enter.

    5. Re:Downloading it now... by lullabud · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm seeing this problem in two situations, neither of which would be either of the computers going to sleep. The first is when I switch wireless networks. Even though I can still ping the other computer, if I didn't unmount an SMB share before switching I will have problems. The second situation is when I go from wireless to wired, which I often do at home as I wander up to my desk after fixing dinner and unwinding a bit. Even if the share I'm connecting to is in the same subnet as my PB's en1, if I plug in my en0 while I still have that SMB share mounted the connection will go sour. I'm guessing that the SMB mount is adapter specific and wants to keep sending out data on en1, but the OS wants to use en0 since ethernet takes priority in OSX. In any case, I hope, but don't expect, that this update fixes the problem. No biggie, there's always afp, scp, ftp, http, and even sneaker net. Good thing we have so many choices out of the box with OSX. =)

    6. Re:Downloading it now... by Rascasse · · Score: 3, Informative

      Do you have your workgroup properly set in the utility located in /Applications/Utility/Directory Access? You need to set your workgroup name there before OS X will be able to properly browse all the samba shares on your network. I had the same problem as you did before I stumbled upon this fix and haven't had any samba problems since.

    7. Re:Downloading it now... by Have+Blue · · Score: 3, Informative

      You can change the port priorities by dragging them up and down in the network preferences' Network Port Configurations section. I'm not saying that will solve your problem, just correcting a minor error :P

  2. YES YES YES by reconbot · · Score: 5, Interesting
    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
    --
    I'm just this guy, you know?
    1. Re:YES YES YES by Maserati · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

      --
      Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
    2. Re:YES YES YES by jeffasselin · · Score: 3, Informative

      It was easy to solve in 10.3:

      Go to Applications | Utilities, open Directory Access, authenticate, check the "Appletalk" box, close the window and wait 30 seconds. That's because appletalk browsing was disabled by default. The 10.3.3 update simply enables this by default again.

      --
      If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
  3. Mail.app bug by OmniVector · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --
    - tristan
    1. Re:Mail.app bug by Usquebaugh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nope.

      Sevrity of Bug * Number of users affected, is the usual way to assign priority.

      How many users are going to experience that crash of yours?

    2. Re:Mail.app bug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Why don't you just download the certificate and install it using Keychain? Safari makes this a pretty painless, and brainless, procedure. Just download the certificate and double-click it.

    3. Re:Mail.app bug by milkman_matt · · Score: 3, Interesting

      They STILL haven't fixed the Mail.app bug [...]

      I'm just hoping they fixed the junkmail issue i've been having, where my mail.app crashes whenever you tag something as spam/not-spam, i've read that lots of people are having it (and yeah, i've tried the fixes, deleting certain files and such, which fixed it until I marked about 15 mails as spam, then it picked up)

      -matt

    4. Re:Mail.app bug by weave · · Score: 4, Interesting
      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.

    5. Re:Mail.app bug by Moogaboo · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is easy to fix. See this thread, specifically the comment by "thecloud", or, if you prefer a GUI, supposedly CertToolGUI is handy.

    6. Re:Mail.app bug by cmdrbuzz · · Score: 5, Informative

      Open the root CA cert in Keychain Access and insert it into X509Anchors.
      I.E. Double-click the file in Finder and when Keychain Access asks where to place it, select X509 Anchors (Note the space in the Keychain Access version, its not in the actual filename.
      Works in Panther.

    7. Re:Mail.app bug by SeanAhern · · Score: 3, Informative

      That bug is listed as having been fixed in this update.

    8. Re:Mail.app bug by Arkham · · Score: 3, Informative
      Well, according to the Docs page, the new fix specifically addresses:

      Addresses an issue in which Mail could unexpectedly quit when marking some types of unsolicited messages (or "spam") as Junk.

      So, yes, I expect it will address that bug, which I have experienced too many times to count. I'm also happy about these:

      Enhancements to /Network browsing include: Servers appear on the desktop and in Finder window Sidebars, AFP Authentication options are available, and you can disconnect a server by dragging its icon on the desktop to the Trash or by clicking the Eject icon in the Sidebar. Improves Fan Control system function for Power Mac G5 computers A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) panel is available in Energy Saver preferences, as well as a UPS menu bar item, when a UPS power management system is connected to the computer. Overall support for UPS systems is improved.
      --
      - Vincit qui patitur.
    9. Re:Mail.app bug by Zoop · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, I experience it. I'd say just about anybody who checks their work mail from home where they've configured IMAP is going to be affected. That may not be over 50%, or even 20%, but I'd think it's fairly common.

      There is a workaround, if you have access to the certificate (say, you're friends with your sysadmin, which you should be):

      Accepting a mailserver SSL certificate permanently
      1) open Keychain Access (it's in "Utilities")
      2) select the menu item: File--Add Keychain...
      3) navigate to /System/Library/Keychains/
      4) select X509Anchors and click 'Open'
      5) close Keychain Access
      6) copy the .pem certificate file from your server to your local machine.
      7) open the finder and navigate to where you copied the file
      8) double click it
      9) import into X509Anchors
      10) quit Keychain Access and restart Mail - it shouldn't ask for you to accept the certificate anymore

    10. Re:Mail.app bug by Maserati · · Score: 4, Informative

      * The Fan Control System update showed up on one of the 10.2.8 machines. This may be a noise abatement update.

      * Network browsing is working for Appletalk in Zones spanning multiple subnets. This is a fix from 10.3.0 - 10.3.2.

      * I see a half-dozen spam a day through our filtering service, and I haven't had a crash yet.

      * Entourage will no doubt continue to corrupt databases in 10.3.3. We are so migrating to Apple for a basic workflow solution: Mail, Address Book, iCal. I am so frelling sick of rebuilding databses - somebody is gonna lose something important. I want mail stored as one .mbox file per folder - like God intended it to be.

      --
      Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
    11. Re:Mail.app bug by tdemark · · Score: 5, Informative

      Ummm... you don't need to be "friends with the sysadmin" to get the key. It's called a "public key" for a reason:

      openssl s_client -connect host:port

      Copy and paste the cert into a file (eg, "cert.cer") and off you go.

      - Tony

    12. Re:Mail.app bug by j-pimp · · Score: 4, Funny

      I want mail stored as one .mbox file per folder - like God intended it to be.
      I want mail stored in a maildir, one file per message - like DJB intended it to be.

      Long live qmail!!!!

      --
      --- Justin Dearing http://www.justaprogrammer.net/ We're just programmers.
  4. Not mentioned in the support articles by filmsmith · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone know if the bug with Energy Saver not working on mondays is fixed? I don't know when I'll get to update my machine and am curious if this was tended to. They didn't mention it in the support document, but it's such a minor bug anyway...

    fs

    1. Re:Not mentioned in the support articles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Anyone know if the bug with Energy Saver not working on mondays is fixed?

      Sorry, but bugs that occur on Mondays shouldn't be the responsibilty of Apple. I suggest you clean up your karma and start donating to charitable organizations.

  5. I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by Snarfvs+Maximvs · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm having the darndest problems with wake-from-sleep on my 1GHz AlBook 15.

    1) Sometimes (10% of the time?) I just get a black screen on wake and have to reboot (CAPSLOCK key LED turns on/off though...so it ain't "dead").
    2) Disabling my Bluetooth mouse and kbd reduces the frequency of this occurring but doesn't eliminate it.
    3) When wake succeeds, sometimes I spontaneously lose my Bluetooth connections
    4) When wake succeeds, I have to manually make my Airport Extreme card connect to my 802.11b WAP.
    5) For the life of me, I cannot keep my Airport Extreme card from disconnecting from my WAP whenever I use Fast User Switching.

    C'mon, Apple, fix these please...

    --
    -----------------------

    To understand recursion, one must first understand recursion.

    1. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by Udo+Schmitz · · Score: 4, Informative
      Sometimes (10% of the time?) I just get a black screen on wake and have to reboot

      Any chance you ran something (game, iTunes visuals) that changes screen resolution? Plus having activated a screensaver? There was an article in the knowledge base recently, covering something like that, where it said the field to enter your password is actually there but you won't see it. Don't remember exactly what you had to do though, hitting escape or something ...

    2. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by medeii · · Score: 4, Informative

      Had a similar problem with my 12" AlBook, but a call to AppleCare told me I could probably fix it myself by resetting the PRAM. Instructions.

      You can also try resetting the PMU.

      --
      got standards? --- http://www.w3.org/
    3. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by jcr · · Score: 4, Informative

      The only way to get these issues into Apple's queue is to file a bug report at bugreporter.apple.com. Don't worry about filing duplicate reports, there are people who spot and count them.

      Posting on Slashdot, Apple mailing lists, or just telling an Apple employee does *not* generate a bug report.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    4. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by Analog+Penguin · · Score: 3, Informative

      Couldn't you hit power key and then "s" to make it sleep? That always worked on my iBook, and if it works to hit return to shut down, "s" should work for sleep. It'd be faster than waiting for auto-sleep, surely. Good luck!

    5. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by Hes+Nikke · · Score: 4, Informative

      if you push the power button (but don't hold it) the computer asks if you want to shut down. all 4 of the choices are hot keyed... return for shut down, escape for cancel, 'r' for restart and 's' for sleep. next time your 'book does that (i've seen it on every model PowerBook that Mac OS X runs on, and i would assume that iBooks with the OF hack do it as well) just push the power button, count to 5 (some times it takes a while for that window to show up) and simply push 's'. problem solved.

      what is even stranger is when you don't attach/detach any devices and it does this. i can only assume that it's having a bad dream and the PMU wakes it long enough to see that the screen is still closed.

      i actually have these directions printed and attached to the palm rest of a client's Lombard because his does it twice a month. frequently enough to be annoying, but not frequently enough to remember the steps to get out of it.

      --
      Don't call me back. Give me a call back. Bye. So yeah. But bye our, well, but alright we are on a shirt this chill.
    6. Re:I hope wake-from-sleep is fixed.... by CatGrep · · Score: 4, Informative

      1) Sometimes (10% of the time?) I just get a black screen on wake and have to reboot (CAPSLOCK key LED turns on/off though...so it ain't "dead").

      I've seen this happen once on my PowerBook as well. You're right, your machine isn't dead and it doesn't need to be rebooted.

      What you need to do is to increase the brightness by pressing f2, that's all. For some reason sometimes after waking from a sleep the brightness stays turned all the way down.

      I discovered this because my PowerBook was sitting in front of the window and it was sunny out. You know how the Apple logo glows when the screen is lit? Well, it works both ways - when the backlight is off light can shine through the Apple logo as well and you can see an Apple-logo shaped area of your screen that's readable. So I could tell that there was still stuff on the screen. I moved the cursor around till it showed up in that small lit region. Then I tried turning up the brightness and it worked.

      No need to reboot.

  6. Snappier by macmaniac · · Score: 4, Informative
    Altogether feels snappier to me. I've now updated both my iBook 800 and my 1GHz iMac, and everything just feels snappier on both.

    Nothing broken so far in this update...

    1. Re:Snappier by erikharrison · · Score: 3, Interesting

      My suspicion that the "snappier" feeling comes from the massive prelinking that the OS goes though when installing stuff.

      While OS X has nothing approaching the DLL hell of Windows, prelinking associations can at least theoretically break, and I am fairly sure that the entire OS is only prelinked when installing a major update. Otherwise installing apps would take even longer than usual

    2. Re:Snappier by tim1724 · · Score: 4, Informative

      If prebinding breaks for a particular application (this could happen if one installs a new version of a Framework) it's really no big deal. The only "bad" thing that happens is that the binding of symbols in shared libraries has to be done at run time. This may add a bit to the launch time of an application (typically about 10-30%, or a few extra "bounces" in the Dock) but when the dynamic linker notices this happening it will actually redo the prebinding on that application so the next time you launch the application it will be nice and snappy again. :-)

      Nothing will break, the application will just have a longer than normal launch time once or twice until the system redoes the prebinding.

      The automatic prebinding update feature was added in Jaguar.

      Apple has documentation concerning prebinding here and here/

      Also, see the man pages for update_prebinding, redo_prebinding, and fix_prebinding

      --
      -- Tim Buchheim
    3. Re:Snappier by SewersOfRivendell · · Score: 4, Informative

      In 10.3 (possibly in 10.2, don't recall), the dynamic linker will update prebindings on the fly, so the OS update really shouldn't make a difference in that respect.

  7. Yeah ... by Udo+Schmitz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, I know, I know. You were expecting a 20th Anniversary Mac, but this will have to do. I'm sure Steve had a keynote presentation in Moscone Center solemnly unvealing a 10.3.3 box raising out of the stage floor ... OK, I'll stop now.

  8. have you contact apple? by Numeric · · Score: 5, Funny

    i dont know if a posting on /. counts as filling a bug report.

    --
    -- ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space!
  9. Network Browser fixed and iPhoto 4 blurring fixed by calstraycat · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

  10. Crashed after Install by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Careful while installing. I finished updating via software update on my DP800G4 and hit "restart" when it asked me to.. nothing happened

    went into Apple > Restart.. nothing happened

    tried Apple > Log off, Shutdown, and restart again.. nothing happened

    Then I started quitting all my applications and noticed my CPU monitor read 100% on both CPUS and was going between 50 and 100% every 2 seconds.. so I quit the finder..

    The finder then proceeded to quit then restart every 5 seconds for about 3 minutes until I just hit the emergency restart button on the front of the case

    After that, it took 3 times as long to start back up again, during which time I planned what I'd write in this post :)

  11. I got a Kernel Panic. by gearwhore · · Score: 5, Funny

    My 12inch pb 1ghz does not boot anymore, just boots to a kernel panic. Time for a fresh install.. good thing i was a windoze user before a mac user.

    1. Re:I got a Kernel Panic. by Juanvaldes · · Score: 3, Insightful

      could you provide more info about your system? Hardware, any hacks you may have install, that sort of stuff.

  12. Use Nudge to update Finder views by SimonDorfman.com · · Score: 5, Informative
    If this update doesn't fix it, try using Nudge to update your finder windows.
    Product Description: This Contextual Menu "nudges" the Finder to update the information it displays about a file or folder. Use it on any item (or groups of items) if you suspect the Finder hasn't updated its view. This should work for most attribute changes, icon changes, size changes, files that have been saved but don't appear, and so forth. Unfortunately, some attribute changes are NOT properly recognized. This includes the "invisible" and "package" attributes. For changes to those attributes, you must quit and restart the Finder. On Panther, you can also control-click in the empty space on any folder (or on the desktop) to nudge the folder itself, without needing to select anything.
    --

    --
    A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men. -Willy Wonka
  13. NFS? by krray · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Ok, I give up. I have NFS volumes exported/mounted across a few Linux systems (no issue). OS.X mounting the same Linux NFS mount can only handle 2.something gig files (it's bigger than 2 and smaller than 3 is all I know right now).

    A 4,707M file shows as 611M on OS.X. No, I can not create files larger than the "limit" -- they eat themselves. The same applies to both the command line and the Finder. Any /. ideas out there?

    (yes, I want to move 50G files around sometimes :)

    1. Re:NFS? by Arkham · · Score: 4, Informative
      That's not actually true. HFS had a 2GB per fork size limit (2GB resource, 2GB data). HFS+ has a limit much, much larger on OSX.

      Maximum volume and file size is 2 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.0-10.1), 8 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.2), and 16 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.3).

      Maximum number of files and folders in a folder is 4 billion. This depends on the volume size - bigger hard disks store more files.

      I know that doesn't address the other poster's NFS issue, but it's not a problem with HFS. It MIGHT be a problem with OSX's implementation of NFS though.

      --
      - Vincit qui patitur.
  14. Versiontracker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    For all those not in the know VersionTracker is THE place to go for update info. Anything that goes wrong can generally be found there. http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/ 8848

    1. Re:Versiontracker by Chucker23N · · Score: 4, Informative

      Even better is MacUpdate. Why? Because VersionTracker's layout has become extremely cluttered and annoying, whereas MacUpdate continues to be comparably lightweight.

      http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/13052

  15. SMB/CIFS Browsing via WINS Now Works! by good+soldier+svejk · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wohoo!

    I was actually a beta tester, so this has been working for me for a while, but my number one bug in Jaguar and Panther is officially fixed. WINS resolution now works for SMB network browsing!

    --
    It is cowardly, and a betrayal of whatever it means to be a Jew, to act as a white man

    -James Baldwin
  16. fixed a printing problem by sonatinas · · Score: 3, Informative

    I use an old lexmark E210 printer with osx. When i upgraded to panther, i would have to turn off and on the printer to print with ghostscript and samsung gdi printer drivers from linux printing.org. Now, everything acts normally and i dont have to turn off the printer.

  17. The mysterious freezing bug by Avumede · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

  18. Re:Java apps by oacis · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have updated, and everything seems to be going ok. I use java a lot - for both development and usage. I still get an error with jEdit that tells me that the Mac OS Plugin requires a newer version (happened ever since I upgraded Java to the latest and greatest version).

    Everything else - including JBoss - works as it should.

    You should check the logs (/Applications/Utilities/Console.app) that may be able to provide some insight into what is going on inside the java apps.

    --
    This is NOT the best sig in the world, but this IS a tribute to the best sig in the world.
  19. Re:Disk space usage bug fixed? by Hes+Nikke · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --
    Don't call me back. Give me a call back. Bye. So yeah. But bye our, well, but alright we are on a shirt this chill.
  20. Working as intended. by Squozen · · Score: 4, Informative

    Updated, rebooted, working fine. Network shares seem to be working well (Samba and W2k/XP boxes), Mail, Safari are both running, no sirens are going off... I remain a happy Mac user. ;)

  21. more detailed list by madbeaner · · Score: 5, Informative

    Enhancements

    These are some of the enhancements that are part of Mac OS X 10.3.3 Update.

    Networking and .Mac enhancements

    Addresses issues, such as a lost network connection, that could occur when connecting to a network device that forces the network speed and/or duplex setting (known as a "locked" device).
    AppleTalk Browsing is now on by default.
    Resolves an issue in which name conflicts could occur among Network Service Entities.
    Available servers can be seen when browsing Windows Workgroups or Domains.
    Enhancements to /Network browsing include: Servers appear on the desktop and in Finder window Sidebars, AFP Authentication options are available, and you can disconnect a server by dragging its icon on the desktop to the Trash or by clicking the Eject icon in the Sidebar.
    Improves synchronization between .Mac and your computer. .Mac no longer attempts to automatically sync files over a wireless network (or "hotspot") before the computer is authorized to use the network.
    Enhances an Open directory plug-in, which is used in network environments: The Active Directory plug-in is no longer sensitive to the case of the domain; the plug-in now works in ".local" domain environments; the plug-in is now less sensitive to DNS records that don't have matching reverse lookup.
    Improves compatibility with certain third-party wireless networking PC cards, such as the Honda AH-G10. More...

    Enhances the IrDA menu item when IrDA networking is active.
    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.

    DVD Player enhancements

    DVD Player will no longer quit if an unsupported PCI video card is installed in your computer. More...
    DVD Player supports more DVD video discs that are designed to play automatically.
    Improved DVD playback when "Digital Audio Output" is selected in DVD Player preferences.
    DVD Player now recognizes and plays DVD+R media.

    Application enhancements

    Images retain their characteristics when you import them in iPhoto. More...
    Addresses an issue in which Mail could unexpectedly quit when marking some types of unsolicited messages (or "spam") as Junk.
    Addresses issues that may cause Address Book and other applications to unexpectedly quit if the Classic Mac OS fonts are disabled in Font Book.
    Text shadow opacity and color are saved in RTF documents and preserved when you copy or paste.

    Image Capture can now import files whose names begins with an underscore character ("_") .

    Finder enhancements

    Improves security by requiring an administrator to authenticate for each Finder action that needs authentication, such as installing software. In earlier Mac OS X Panther versions, an administrator who authenticated may have unknowingly given elevated priviledges to the non-admin user for 5 minutes. This change also prevents a normal user from performing administrator actions if an administrator user has authenticated during their session.
    When you use an Open menu command to choose a file in Finder or an application, the flashing button now says "Choose" instead of "Open".
    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.

    Other enhancements

    Improvements in start up time that some computers experienced under some installations of Mac OS X 10.3.2 Update. More...
    Improves print operations when a pending print jobs is moved to the queue of a printer that has different capabilities. More...
    Improves recognition of Hi-Speed USB devices by PowerBook G4 and iBook G4 computers when woken from sleep.
    A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) panel is available in Energy Saver preferences, as well as a UPS menu bar item, when a UPS power management system

  22. New Keyboard Pref: Real Fn Keys! by Devil's+Avocado · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is a nice detail for PowerBook users. One persistant annoyance with OS X on PowerBooks for programmers has been the way it forces you to hold down the fn key to use the function keys. If you don't hold it down then you get, for example, the brightness or volume controls. This is really annoying to programmers, who typically have macros bound to function keys and need them infinitely more often than the brightness controls. There have been a variety of hacks, such as uControl, to enable "real" function keys.

    With the 10.3.3 update there's a new checkbox in the keyboard preferences pane labeled "Use the F1-F12 keys for custom actions". If you check it then you get "real" function keys, where holding down fn gives you the brightness, sound, etc controls. Kudos to Apple for this -- it's always nice to be able to drop a hack in favor of an official feature!

  23. Re:Give me a whole new (old) Finder by capmilk · · Score: 4, Interesting
    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?

  24. Re:Same - Dual G4 Tower by dave1212 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Try repairing your permissions. Dual 450, was having that too until I repaired again lately.

  25. MySQL warning by capmilk · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you use MySQL on OS X Server, you might want to read the Knowledge Base article about the
    update before you install it. Here it is:

    Additional Information for MySQL

    Data stored in MySQL databases with the version of MySQL that is pre-
    installed Mac OS X Server 10.3.2 or earlier must be exported and re-imported
    in order to be compatible with version of MySQL that is pre-installed on Mac
    OS X Server 10.3.3, in which a byte-ordering issue is fixed.

    As with any upgrade install, you should back up your old data. In this
    particular upgrade, the following process is recommended to convert the data
    to the correct byte ordering:

    Before the upgrade, use the terminal to export the data from your pre-10.3.3
    database:

    # mysqldump -p table > backup-file.sql

    or

    # mysqldump --opt database > backup-file.sql

    After the upgrade, and after initializing the MySQL database, import the data:

    # mysql -p table backup-file.sql

    or

    # mysql database backup-file.sql

  26. If you've modified your /etc/rc file.. by Etruscan · · Score: 3, Informative

    .. you'll have to update it again. Just in case any here might have hacked it as I have; ie: switch where dynamic_pager points to for swap creation (have a separate UFS non-journaled partition). It appears it's been overwritten again, as can happen with the system updates (not whining, just fyi'ing).

    --
    loose != lose: My belt is too loose, thus I'll lose my modesty shortly.
    1. Re:If you've modified your /etc/rc file.. by c13v3rm0nk3y · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

      --
      -- clvrmnky
  27. mLAN by Steve+Cowan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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!

  28. MacInTouch by Steve+Cowan · · Score: 3, Informative

    Another great site with up-to-date user reports is www.macintouch.com

  29. 10.3.3 Raid Problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    If anyone installs the 10.3.3 update while using OS X software raid stripe setup be aware that you may not be able to boot into the system, it will give you a kernel panic error / screen. The way to get around this is to reset the NVRAM / PRAM. For those of you that don't know it's command / option / p and r during boot up.

  30. Bluetooth Caller ID not fixed by thatguywhoiam · · Score: 3, Informative
    Apple has not fixed the bug introduced in the last Bluetooth Update (1.5, which is included with 10.3.3)... the Caller ID window for incoming calls stays focused with the Address Book app and does not pop to the front. Which basically makes it useless.

    I hope they fix it soon - its great to be able to leave your phone on silent in your jacket pocket, so you can use your headphones...

    --
    If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
  31. Software Update from the command line by revscat · · Score: 4, Informative

    In case any one is interested, you can run Software Update (remotely, if you wish) just by running the "softwareupdate" command from your terminal window.

  32. 3d Modellers Untie! by log0n · · Score: 4, Interesting

    (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).

  33. Re:Disk space usage bug fixed? by thatguywhoiam · · Score: 5, Funny
    i NEVER, EVER trust what the finder says... 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.

    The Finder does update correctly now, but you're right - don't ever, ever trust it again. The Finder has betrayed you before, and it won't hesitate to stab you in the back again, given half a chance. And then where will you be? Sitting at home alone, drinking bourbon, weeping softly into a cracked mirror.

    With the wrong file sizes.

    --
    If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
  34. Mathematica 5.0.0 license broken by update? by pmdboi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I just installed the update about a half-hour ago, and upon trying to launch Mathematica 5.0.0, I was greeted with the registration screen. I went through it and the program generated a different machine number than it had before (I checked it against the old one in the email). Did anyone else have this problem?