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"audio playback in QuickTime, iTunes, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack applications..."

I just finished installing the 10.4.7 update on my 12" powerbook g4 (1.5 ghz) and I had REALLY hoped that Apple would restore midi importing capability to itunes and fix the "sound balance" problem that has been plaguing os x users since at least 10.2! I still get a -50 error when trying to convert midi to mp3. Yes, itunes used to be able to batch convert midi files. Unfortunately, I cannot test the sound balance issue until it the sound balance problem occurs. So obviously, I cannot reliably report on the second issue.

BTW, I recently sent feedback to Apple regarding both of these issues. At least they recently did something for us ppc users regarding the slow superdrive issue.

If Apple doesn't fix the midi and sound balance problems asap, I may have to ihit someone!

StaticMesh: All you folks happy that Mac OS X feel's "snappier" it's just a simple pre-binding rebuild that occurs after every OS update. You just haven't done one for some time yourself that's all.

You can invoke a pre-binding update yourself, search Apple for OnyX and run all the "Automation" and reboot.

Tada, your snappy again.

pre-binding is a thing of Panther and older. Tiger has a totally new linker and dynamic loader and does not do pre-binding anymore as before. AND it is faster than Panther, but you all have noticed that already.

Tiger does not need to do the pre-binding anymore. This is the reason why now when you install something or do a OS update you notice that the time spent on "Optimizing the OS" is much shorter. One reason is that pre-binding is something of the past.

Ampar,
Stop thinking "decimal" and start thinking "serial".

Tiger was introduced in ... April? May? That's about one major update every other month. At that pace we will see 10.4.8 in August and 10.4.9 in October. Which would be the end of the line, were these numbers "decimal". They are not. With 10.5.0 due to be announced in January (to ship in February?), we could still slot 10.4.10 in for December - the system allows for it.

Of course, chances are good that Apple will do its best not to confuse the vast majority of people who are under the same mis-conception as you and stall -.8 until September and -.9 until December. No great need to bend too many minds - or explain the same story over, and over ... and over.

Thanks, DL. Good point. I have a hard enough time remembering 3.141592654. It's decimating but serial is killer.

@Ampar - Luckily Spock had a brilliant idea on an old episode of Star Trek when the ship's computer took control of everything. Spock just spoke the words, "Computer - calculate π to the last digit". Computer goes berserk. Problem solved. I always keep that one in my bag of tricks in case an OS update goes awry.

In other news - Russian Professor memorizes π to 1 million digits:

http://english.pravda.ru/society/anomal/27-03-2006/77871-memory-0

^^^ Also note "Fun Stories" section in the right side bar:

• 10-year erection helps man earn USD 400,000
• Men with biggest reproductive organs all live in England
• Some perverts live happy lives in overcrowded buses and trains rubbing against young women
• US forces to attack heterosexual soldiers with homosexual bombs
• Pop singer Pink enjoys the nipple piercing (pics)

Pravda = WWN?

After 10.4.7 update Quark 6.5 doesn't recognizes USB hardware key...

Re: MikeR

My 400MHz g3 PB runs 10.4 just great. Much faster than 10.3.

Update too heavy for my dial-up – 131 MB

Pre-binding will indeed run in Tiger, when you add "debug" as:

update_prebinding -root / -force / -debug

I just switched to Tiger at 10.4.6 from 10.3.8 fulltime after one year of problems with Tiger updates "fixing" things. I was running 10.4.3, 10.4.5 experimentally with 10.3.8 fulltime, + Yellow Dog experimentally on 2 drives.

If I ever get time to get Linux right (and if its possible) its Adios to Mac and Windoze. This is what happens to old NeXT users, who foolishly expect OS X to even remotely approach its reliability.

@ MikeR:

I had a Power Mac G4 at 350MHz and it ran Tiger. Although I don;t see a major rush to go and get it now, as 10.5 is only a few months away hopefully.

Have installed 10.4.7 and google earth now crashes - anyone eelse. Also have trouble with CNN news - unexpectadly quits when click on headline links at top

My iBook G4 has been showing the spinny thing since I turned it on agan after downloading the 10.4.7 update (and iTunes and some Airport stuff I'd been skipping until I got broadband).

It's been about an hour now. I take it from these comments that this isn't normal. I'm off to hard reboot.