10.5.6 is now available

[aphex]

LINK

Apple's support page and Software Update appear to be a little bit hammered -- you know what that me: A new OS update!

Mac OS X 10.5.6 has just been released to Software Update. The ~190 MB update (assuming you are already running the latest version of OS X) offers up the following, according to Apple's Support Page:

* Various improvements to performance and stability in Mail.app, iCal, Airport and Safari
* Graphical improvements
* DVD player performance improvements
* A new Trackpad panel in System Preferences for portable Macs
* Time Machine and MobileMe improvements
* Other various fixes.

The whole support page lays out the improvements with more accuracy than we often see from Apple and there are security updates too.

And the details from apple; http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3194

Products Affected

Mail, Mac OS X 10.5, iCal 3.x, MobileMe Sync, iChat, AirPort, Safari

What's new in this update?

Address Book

* Improves reliability of Address Book syncing with iPhone and other devices and applications.

AirPort

* Improves the reliability of AirPort connections, including improvements when roaming in large wireless networks with an Intel-based Mac.

Client management

* Improves reliability of synchronizing files on a portable home directory.
* Fixes an issue in Mac OS X 10.5.4 and 10.5.5 in which managed users may not see printers that use the Generic PPD.
* Client computers that use UUID-based ByHost preferences now respect managed Screen Saver settings.

iChat

* Addresses an issue that could cause an encryption alert to appear in the chat window.
* Setting your iChat status to "invisible" via AppleScript no longer logs you out of iChat.
* Resolves an issue in which pasting text from a Microsoft Office document could insert an image rather than text.

Graphics

* Includes general improvements to gaming performance.
* Includes graphics improvements for iChat, Cover Flow, Aperture, and iTunes.
* Includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards.

Mail

* Includes overall performance and reliability fixes.
* Improves Connection Doctor accuracy.
* Fixes an issue that could cause messages identified as junk to remain in the inbox.
* Fixes an issue that could cause Mail to append a character to the file extension of an attachment.
* Addresses an issue that could prevent Mail from quitting.
* Improves reliability when printing PDF attachments.

MobileMe

* Contacts, calendars, and bookmarks on a Mac automatically sync within a minute of the change being made on the computer, another device, or the web at me.com.

Networking

* Improves Apple File Service performance, especially when using a home directory hosted on an AFP server. Important: If you are using Mac OS X 10.5.6 (client) to connect to a Mac OS X Server 10.4-based server, it is strongly recommended that you update the server to Mac OS X Server version 10.4.11.
* Improves the performance and reliability of TCP connections.
* Improves reliability and performance for AT&T 3G cards.
* Updates the ssh Terminal command for compatibility with more ssh servers.

Printing

* Improves printing for the Adobe CS3 application suite.
* Improves printing for USB-based Brother and Canon printers.

Parental Controls

* Addresses an issue in which a parentally-controlled account could be unable to access the iTunes Store.
* Includes general fixes for time limits.
* Resolves an issue that prevented adding allowed websites from Safari via drag and drop.

Time Machine

* Fixes issues that could cause Time Machine to state the backup volume could not be found.
* Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.

Safari

* Improves compatibility with web proxy servers.

General

* Includes Mac OS X security improvements. See this website for more information.
* Addresses inaccuracies with Calculator when the Mac OS X language is set to German or Swiss German.
* Improves the performance and reliability of Chess.
* Improves DVD Player performance and reliability.
* Performance improvements for iCal are included.
* Fixes an issue when running the New iCal Events Automator action as an applet.
* Adds a Trackpad System Preference pane for portable Macs.
* Improves compatibility with smart cards such as the U.S. Department of Defense Common Access Card.
* Updates time zone data and Daylight Saving Time rules for several countries.

 

[leglez]

Is there any support for new graphics cards with this update?

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: leglez
Is there any support for new graphics cards with this update?

Added the apple details to the OP. Doesn't appear so, but Apple doesn't usually tell us everything that's included.

 

[leglez]

Oh well I am not worried about the graphics cards now. I just read through the changelog and here is the best part of 10.5.6

* Improves the performance and reliability of Chess.

 

[Parasitic]

Is this safe for OSX86 yet?

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Is this safe for OSX86 yet?

there is a patcher that is working for people hopefully Kaido will put this in his guide ???

Also i hope this brings 48xx support...

 

[ubercaffeinated]

this update hangs for a bunch of people (as per support forums, including myself). possible solution is to direct download the update rather than go through the software update menu.

link http://support.apple.com/downl...Mac_OS_X_10-5-6_Update

edit: manual update worked great. dunno what was wrong with autoupdating.

 

[Kmax82]

So far so good on my end.

 

[TangoJuliet]

I downloaded it but haven't installed it yet. Anything really good with this update (aside from what was posted above)?

 

[theblackbox]

ive installed it on a mbp and a mp and it went fine. the install on the mbp was 150mb or so and the mp was 370mbs.
didn't hang or anything.

 

[umrigar]

OS X 10.5.6 threw a shoe at me.

 

[mmntech]

Another day, another service pack. Nothing really important in here but might as well install it anyway.

 

[sjwaste]

If this update fails, what's the best way to restore a BOOT-132 install?

Boot the retail DVD, restore from time machine backup, and then do the post-install stuff that we did the first go around?

 

[Megatomic]

377MB download, no problems installing. I have a Santa Rosa-based MB.

 

[sourceninja]

No probs here. Did the normal update via the apple logo.

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Is this safe for OSX86 yet?

This is not even safe for real OS X. Tons of people at Macrumors.com are having issues with this update.

It completely borked my Time Machine. I'm a little miffed with Apple right now.

 

[Kmax82]

I still don't understand how people have issues with firmware updates. Apple has fixed systems to work on, just like consoles and yet every time they update the firmware/major OS components... people always have issues. I've never had an issue, so I just wonder...

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I still don't understand how people have issues with firmware updates. Apple has fixed systems to work on, just like consoles and yet every time they update the firmware/major OS components... people always have issues. I've never had an issue, so I just wonder...

I wonder if the issues are sometimes caused by third party software playing against the rules.

 

[sourceninja]

Well, using consoles as an example, apples track record is about as good. Microsoft has had horrible problems with the nxe update for the 360. Sony has had similar troubles as well. People have had wii updates brick their systems too.

 

[TheStu]

sourceninja is right. Lots of people had issue with the 2.40 (I believe it was) update on the PS3... so much so that Sony actually advised against getting it, and then they pulled the download not only from the automatic updater, but also their website.

Tyranicus can correct me on this, but I do not recall ever having issues on any of my systems that can be directly correlated to a .x.n update of the OS.

 

[ViRGE]

I had no issues getting my Hack up to 10.5.6. The process is a bit involved since it requires updating the EFI emulator to something that can load DSDT files (also new, overrides a OS check for invalid/non-Mac ACPI power info) and patching the HDA audio driver to support my specific board, but all told it's not bad. The only gotcha for me was that the new EFI emulator overwrote my MBR, so I had to dig out an Ubuntu disc and reassert GRUB.

 

[Tyranicus]

Originally posted by: TheStu
sourceninja is right. Lots of people had issue with the 2.40 (I believe it was) update on the PS3... so much so that Sony actually advised against getting it, and then they pulled the download not only from the automatic updater, but also their website.

Tyranicus can correct me on this, but I do not recall ever having issues on any of my systems that can be directly correlated to a .x.n update of the OS.

I don't recall it ever happening to you. However, one of the Tiger updates (10.4.9 I believe) did break Rosetta support for a few programs, and that didn't ed up getting fixed until Leopard.

 

[kaioshade]

So far 10.5.6 is working wonderfully on my msi wind.had to redo the gma kext but all was fine after that

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

It seems to me that apps are loading slower. iChat loads in about 12 bounces now whereas before the update it loaded in 3 bounces

 

[Parasitic]

I really hope that this update could also bring my out-of-whack MobileMe sync back to normal. My trial account expired last night and upon renewal it refused to let me register my computer and host sync anymore. I've reset sync history twice and done things like logging out and logging back in and it's still stuck.

Oh wells, time to update to 10.5.6 and maybe it'll magically come back to life.