“The fifth major update to Mac OS X, Leopard, contains such a mountain of features — more than 300 by Apple’s count — that it’s difficult to boil this US$129 operating system release down to a few easy bullet points. Leopard is, at once, a major alteration to the Mac interface, a sweeping update to numerous included productivity programs, a serious attempt to improve Mac OS security, and a vast collection of tweaks and fixes scattered throughout every nook and cranny of the operating system,” Jason Snell reports for IT Business.
“As with every OS X update since version 10.1, there’s no single feature in Leopard that will force Mac users to upgrade immediately. Instead, it’s the sheer deluge of new features that’s likely to persuade most active Mac users to upgrade, especially since this is the longest gap between OS X upgrades — two and a half years — since the [operating system] was introduced,” Snell reports.
“It’s impossible to detail the avalanche of new features in Leopard. Screen Savers and international spelling dictionaries aside, Apple’s list of ‘300+ new features’ isn’t far off. If you use Photo Booth, Parental Controls, Image Capture, VPN, Terminal, or just about any other feature you can think of in Mac OS X, you’ll find at least some changes,” Snell reports.
“So are 300-plus new features worth $129? That answer will vary, because no single user will ever take advantage of all — or maybe even half — of those 300 features. But given the impressive value of Time Machine and improvements to existing programs such as iCal, iChat, Mail, and the Finder, most active Mac users will find more than enough reasons to consider that upgrade cost money well spent. Despite a few interface missteps, particularly when it comes the menu bar and the Dock, Leopard is an upgrade that roars,” Snell reports.
Full review, including how many of Leopard’s new features specifically address security concerns, here.
ShadowMac
Might I recommend the “Raising Sand” CD?
It is not a fix for your Mac.
It is an aural Valium for your nerves…..
Oh, that 200,000 items was system wide, not just in Lawrence!
BTW, installed Leopard on two Macs, a Dual 2GHz G5 and a MacBook Core 2 Duo. No installation problems, but I always run Disk Utility to repair the disk and permissions and DiskWarrior to get a pristine disk and then just do an upgrade install. Has worked very well for me thru all the 10.x upgrades.
I have FileMaker 6 and NO problems running it (only tried on the MacBook so far). I did have a problem with my HP1012 LaserJet printer being recognized by the G5, which it’s plugged into and the MacBook via Printer sharing. Unplugged the printer’s USB cable and connected it to a different port and voila! it showed up and printed fine with either computer. Had no problems with an Epson RX580, though.
My menu bar on the G5 is solid, not transparent like on the MacBook. Occasionally it will “flash”. The G5 only has the factory FX5200 card with 64MB of VRAM, so I’m assuming Core Image isn’t making the trip? Might be time to upgrade to a better video card anyway.
Safari is really FAST. I did notice that right after the install reboot and I launched Safari on the G5 that the internet connection was REAL slow. Did a speed check and max speed 21kb/sec! OUCH! I downloaded the Apple keychain update (took for ever) and when it rebooted internet speeds were back to normal. Maybe just needed a second reboot.
Oh, the other problem I had was with the Key Chain Access file disappearing. I installed Leopard first on the MacBook and when I discovered my key chain was missing I copied it over from the G5 and and every thing is back to normal. So, when I upgraded the G5, I first duplicated my user key chain file (located in user library-key chain), pulled it out onto the desktop and reinstalled it after the install. So, MAKE A COPY OF YOUR KEY CHAIN file before installing Leopard, as it wiped out the old file on both computers.
When you’re in Safari and you hit find, and it actually highlights the hits… that’s the best thing ever.
Well, I personally like the translucent menu bar, and being a 3D Artist by trade, I have a unique appreciation for the new Dock.
The 2 things I am not digging are:
1.) Safari no longer assumes “.com” when you type something in the address bar and press enter. Doing that now takes me to my ISP’s search page. grrr
2.) I don’t like that you cannot hide the sidebar in Finder Windows. I only occasionally had need for that, but I miss the option. My WIfe is irritated by it even more, as she is on a 12″ iBook G4, and needs all of her screen real estate. She normallt keeps the sidebar minimized to a row of icons.
I suspect that the interface haxies will appear that will let people who cannot embrace evolutions in design the ability to 2D the dock and opaque up the Menu Bar. So for you folks, I just say.. be patient and enjoy the scenery for now.
I can see the whole volumes on the dock being a problem for some too, but I always found that a very counter-intuitive and frustrating way to navigate. I mean, your mouse pointer wavers at all, and you have to start again.
To each their own
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