Apple Releases Leopard 10.5.1 Update

As you probably know, Apple today released its first point update for Leopard.

Noticeable are several high-profile fixes, including the "Moving files via the Finder can lose data" bug that harkens all of the way back to Jaguar, and some key patches to Time Machine.

But equally conspicuous by their absence are any mention of the reported Time Machine/AirPort issues, the Time Machine/Aperture issue, the Photoshop problems, the vanishing windows in Spaces, and so on.

Other rumored changes, like the one mentioned in "Leopard Update Finds Wayward Applications", seem to be missing in action as well.

Here's the list of problems corrected in 10.5.1:

AirPort

• Allows password-protected accounts on AirPort Disks to show up on in the Finder's Shared Sidebar.
• Resolves an issue with saved passwords for wireless networks.

Back to My Mac

• Improves the reliability of Back to My Mac-enabled Macs appearing in the Finder's Shared Sidebar.
• Improves compatibility with D-Link NAT gateways.

Disk utilities

• Restores the functionality of the progress bar during permission repairs in Disk Utility.
• Addresses an issue that could produce an alert when creating disk images using Disk Utility or Terminal.
• Improves disk partitioning when multiple RAID sets are created on the same disk.

iCal

• iCal alarms are now more reliably delivered via email.
• Resolves an issue when inviting attendees via a CalDAV account.

Mail

• Improves stability when resizing columns in the message viewer or switching between Stationery templates in email messages.
• Addresses an issue in which attachments enclosed inside an HTML link may not be clickable in email messages.
• Fixes an issue with email accounts added using the "Simple Setup" feature in which messages cannot be sent due to an SMTP connection failure.
• Improves Smart Mailboxes compatibility with .Mac Sync, and addresses an issue with To Do's disappearing when using Smart Mailboxes.
• Resolves an issue with syncing Mail accounts with .Mac in which multiple On My Mac folders appear in the Mailbox pane.

Networking

• Addresses an issue in which Microsoft Windows shared folders may be read-only when connected via SMB.

Printing

• Resolves an issue in which user-selected values on Paper Feed PDE are reset to default while saving a custom preset.

Security, Firewall

• Addresses a code signing issue; third-party applications can now run when included in the Application Firewall or when whitelisted in Parental Controls.
• In Security preferences' Firewall tab, the "Block All" option is now called "Allow Only essential services".
• Includes recent Apple security updates.

System and Finder

• Addresses a potential data loss issue when moving files across partitions in the Finder.
• Resolves an issue with login after turning off FileVault for a specific user account.
• Improves compatibility with Adobe Flash-based uploaders used by .Mac Web Gallery and certain other websites and applications.
• Resolves a potential text drawing issue with certain Adobe Flash-based websites and applications.

Time Machine

• Addresses formatting issues with certain drives used with Time Machine (specifically, single-partition MBR drives greater than 512 GB in size as well as NTFS drives of any size and partition scheme).
• Resolves an issue in which files restored in Time Machine may be restored to the backup hierarchy rather than the folders to which they belong.

Reading the list, most of the acknowledged patches and updates seem a bit... benign. And as mentioned earlier, several other high-profile problems don't seem to be addressed.

Of course, the key words in that paragraph were "acknowledged" and "seem to be", and obviously there could be a lot more going on beneath Leopard's skin. So with that in mind...

If you've noticed a prior issue with Leopard that seems to have been corrected under 10.5.1 that's NOT on this list, leave a comment here for us, okay?

That said, we shouldn't have to do this. It would be in everyone's best interests, including Apple's, for them to simply maintain and publish a change log for their OS and and their products. I, for one, am a bit tired of installing updates that simply say "increases the stability of XYZ."

Come on Apple. Give us the details. Please.

[via Apple]

Comments

[James R. Taylor]

A lot of these are probably issues that Apple found in Leopard just after going Gold Master. They have to go through a lot of QA work before releasing, so updates are often behind. For example, look at the compile date of the kernel, it's three days after the Leopard release.