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Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.3.9 Update

Posted by pudge on from the last-call dept.

OmniVector writes "Right after the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger announcement just a few days ago, Apple has released an update to version 10.3.9 for Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server (both available via Software Update). The changes mostly include bugfixes with Stickies, Safari, and the Finder." The Server update also addresses issues with Open Directory, cyrus, AFP, and SMB, among others. Apple also updated iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and iSight this week.

17 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Trackpad by BigZaphod · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It seems as if this update fixed the sensitivity problems with my PowerBook trackpad. I have a 1.67Ghz PB with the new trackpad that supports the vertical/horizontal scrolling stuff and it has always been far less sensitive than my old PB -- until I rebooted after this update. Cool!

    Although the Safari upgrade re-added Apple, Amazon, eBay, etc. links to my bookmark bar. That was sort of annoying, but easy enough to fix.

    --
    Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
  2. Re:Safari 1.3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Wonder why that is? Doesn't OS X have full support for Unicode? Or are they using some chincy shell script again? (memories of the iTunes update that deleted your hard drive.)

  3. Hopefully not like the last 10.2 update... by andrewski · · Score: 0, Interesting

    The last update to 10.2 made it far slower and buggier, and in my somewhat paranoid mind they 'broke' 10.2 so one would be more motivated to buy 10.3.

    Does this update break 10.3 so I will be encouraged to get 10.4?

    1. Re:Hopefully not like the last 10.2 update... by dmarcoot · · Score: 3, Interesting

      conspiracy theories such as this are just plain stupid. In Apple's history, having buggy systems never has contributed to people buying "fixed" system updates. Quite the contrary, system 7.5 and 7.5 probably lost apple more market share than any thing else in their history.

      Apple is in a fragile enough place without purposely sending out bad software under the impression they will encourage software sales. they are just as likely to lose people who go to windows under that strategy and would suggest marketing people are telling engineers to make thing go bad. sounds implausible at best given that lead on OS X has was guy who developed Next and Steve Jobs in infamous for demanding things work the first time.

      Apple as small market, is under more pressure to makes things work well because they dont have the crutch of a monopoly to hold them up until they fix their shit. one of reasons most apple users are repeat customers.

      the more likely answer, they fucked up, makes a lot more sense.

      but because apple sells updates, rabid Linux zealots see conspiracy in anything they do.

  4. Java broken now? by MasterofSpork · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hey has anyone else found that java apps stop working. I can't get Eclipse or FurtherNET to start.

    Are any of you getting a segfault when running java from the Terminal?

    Anyone have this problem and found a fix? I'm out of ideas.

    1. Re:Java broken now? by evilskull · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Azureus is broken now, segfaults into a long error message.

  5. Ambient light sensor works again by MasterofSpork · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The light sensor in my Powerbook isn't going nuts changing my screen brightness anymore. Maybe this issue has been fixed too. I'm not in fluorescent lighting to give it a good test though.

  6. Network Browsing from Finder messed up by Zaurus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Um, wierd. I just installed 10.3.9 on my 1.67GHz PB, and now in the finder under the network browser it shows:

    Applications
    Library
    Users

    ...all of which appear to be empty, instead of the regular:

    Local
    Servers
    WORKGROUP

    Anyone know how to get the network browsing back to normal?

  7. Re:I'm worried about one of the security updates. by remahl · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I discovered this vulnerability, and i can confirm that Apple is indeed starting to think in zone separation paths...

    I have written a detailed advisory about the problem (Apple conveniently "forgot" to link to it). Apple allows XMLHttpRequest more privileges when running from a file: URL than from http:. This created a problem combined with the fact that disk images are automatically mounted with predictable paths and that Safari did not enforce separation between the http: and file: zones.

    Apple took the approach of separating the zones instead of limiting XMLHttpRequest access from file: URLs.

    Note that Konqueror is already separating zones, and also allows file: URLs to use XMLHttpRequest to access local resources.

    I don't know if there are any other instances where the local zone is given higher privileges than the Internet zone. That's something for future research. If you haven't already updated, feel free to test the demo exploit on the advisory page.

  8. Apple removes basic UNIX features from 10.3.9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Kernel
    CVE ID: CAN-2005-0970
    Impact: Permitting SUID/SGID scripts to be installed could lead to privilege escalation. Description: Mac OS X inherited the ability to run SUID/SGID scripts from FreeBSD. Apple does not distribute any SUID/SGID scripts, but the system would allow them to be installed or created. This update removes the ability of Mac OS X to run SUID/SGID scripts. Credit to Bruce Murphy of rattus.net and Justin Walker for reporting this issue.

    Isn't the ability to run SUID/SGID scripts or apps a fundemental part of Unix. Yes it can be used for naughty things. But that is the responsibility of the end user not Apple.

    Why are Apple taking a Nanny State stance about what can be permitted or not ? It's none of their business what scripts I run on my machine.

    All this leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth when it comes to OS X and security updates where they seem to be taking a too trigger happy approach to appear as though they are 'on top of the problem' to the computing media etc. Yet notoriously Apple's security updates often break basic functionality for many users.

    While many would argue that MS are often perceived to be behind on security issues, I think I understand their mentality now which seems to more about giving the end user choice.

    Apple, since OS X have become something more like a high street bank in their attitude towards end users. Cold, silent and we simply don't give a shit about you and will dictate the terms on which you use our operating system. (which ironically is in large part something they didn't even write)

    That's my feeling about the security updates rolled into 10.3.9

    On 10.3.9 itself, perhaps unsuprisingly Apple have yet again annouced features they have fixed in the update which were already working. Several times they have done this now. Again much like a big high street bank, one department doesn't know what the other department is doing and the customer is left confused.

  9. Re:Safari 1.3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Safari 1.3 came out with this update. and consequently seems to have caused problems with some of my Adium themes and Colloquy no longer even renders.


    They changed the keyboard shortcut to change tabs too. The previous command-shift-arrows has been replaced with command-{/}. Not a joy for example people using the Finnish layout, as it has become now command-shift-alt-8/9. Cannot switch tabs anymore with one hand via keyboard, and you fellow slashdotters should know how bad that is!
  10. Re:Vindicated, yes! by Maserati · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I work in one of the most pro-Apple commercial shops in North America. We're stuck recommending Firefox for an HR section of the Intranet because the SSL support in Safari is so damn slow. Fixing that before we have to roll Tiger out will be nice.

    I still need to double check that we've got a current Firefox on the standard build.

    --
    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  11. WebCT Fix by edibleplastic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not that this will affect many people but for some reason in the past when I would surf to my school's WebCT page Safari would beachball right after I logged in. This seems to be fixed with the new update. Good job!

    1. Re:WebCT Fix by GrahamCox · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ah, WebCT. What a crock of poop that is. I always have to force a WebCT page (any editor view, content is OK) to refresh manually by tweaking the browser window size to get it to display in Safari. I hope that's fixed too.

  12. lacie usb hard drive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    well after my update to 10.3.9, the image of my external hard drive no longer appears in my finder, can't get files off it, can't play my music which is on it, can't do anything about it.*bugger*

  13. Safari Feature degredation. by macmurph · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When I right-click an image in Safari, I am no longer able to specify which folder I want to save it to. The only option is "Save to Safari Downloads".

    This does streamline things... but I think I miss the customization options that a save dialog provides.

    1. Re:Safari Feature degredation. by pmdboi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah, that is kind of irritating. However, dragging images from Safari to the Finder still works, so another thing you can do is navigate to the folder you want to download to in the Finder, go to Safari, start dragging the image, hit Expose if necessary, and drop the image in that folder. A little convoluted, but it works. (If Safari is in the background, you can drag stuff from it without bringing it to the foreground by holding the Command key while doing so.)

      Unfortunately, it looks like you can't drag images from Safari to folders in the Dock.