Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.5

[Woochifer]

XBench Benchmark Scores Did Not Change Much

This is now the fourth OS X Leopard update in a row in which the Xbench benchmark scores did not change all that much. Leopard 10.5.0 showed an overall improvement over Tiger 10.4.11, while 10.5.1 further improved the overall scores. The scores have settled into roughly the same range since then. With 10.5.5, the graphics scores did not change much despite purported revisions to the graphics files. Perhaps the changes did not affect my particular iMac model.

Here are my Xbench scores for 10.4.10, 10.5.0, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, and 10.5.5. (10.5.2 thru 10.5.5 after running Xupport optimization routines)

Overall: 113.91 120.40 124.76 124.21 126.06 126.19 124.88

CPU Test: 111.50 125.42 124.39 135.20 134.98 136.15 136.24
Thread Test: 217.12 180.96 180.88 197.29 200.76 196.76 185.63
Memory Test: 124.02 137.88 138.99 138.36 131.00 140.75 138.65
Quartz Graphics Test: 141.15 171.07 173.21 174.44 171.67 169.26 174.35
OpenGL Graphics Test: 193.92 210.66 221.00 194.67 219.46 215.24 211.10
User Interface Test: 385.19 260.99 304.65 302.85 273.40 293.84
Disk Test: 40.04 43.54 45.95 44.46 45.91 46.02 44.97

 

[DMann]

This is now the fourth OS X Leopard update in a row in which the Xbench benchmark scores did not change all that much. Leopard 10.5.0 showed an overall improvement over Tiger 10.4.11, while 10.5.1 further improved the overall scores. The scores have settled into roughly the same range since then. With 10.5.5, the graphics scores did not change much despite purported revisions to the graphics files. Perhaps the changes did not affect my particular iMac model.

Here are my Xbench scores for 10.4.10, 10.5.0, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, and 10.5.5. (10.5.2 thru 10.5.5 after running Xupport optimization routines)

Overall: 113.91 120.40 124.76 124.21 126.06 126.19 124.88

CPU Test: 111.50 125.42 124.39 135.20 134.98 136.15 136.24
Thread Test: 217.12 180.96 180.88 197.29 200.76 196.76 185.63
Memory Test: 124.02 137.88 138.99 138.36 131.00 140.75 138.65
Quartz Graphics Test: 141.15 171.07 173.21 174.44 171.67 169.26 174.35
OpenGL Graphics Test: 193.92 210.66 221.00 194.67 219.46 215.24 211.10
User Interface Test: 385.19 260.99 304.65 302.85 273.40 293.84
Disk Test: 40.04 43.54 45.95 44.46 45.91 46.02 44.97

Thank you for this! Nice to see figures representing the improvements of Leopard over Tiger, and moreso in 10.5.1 and 10.5.2. Quite a difference from Vista's regression in speed from XP, with SP1 barely catching up to the benchmarks of XP, in only some areas.

 

[W1LLk]

still waiting...

...for a fix that will keep iTunes from crashing on startup and with importing music on my girlfriends MacBook. This is even worse with iTunes 8! Music plays fine on my Pro... So irritating. I know hers isn't the only one either, check out the support forums for iTunes crashing after launch. I swear it's suicidal on her mac. FUBAR.

 

[fmayakos]

honestly... what is it going to take for apple to finally fix that idiot problem with Mail not hiding if it's selected as a login item under user accounts and set to hide... yet another update to Leopard is showing that this annoying issue is still unresolved...

Yeah, I know, it's a bummer... But you can always do this:
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/09/12/launching-apple-mail-in-a-hidden-state/

 

[MidiMonk]

Thank you for this! Nice to see figures representing the improvements of Leopard over Tiger, and moreso in 10.5.1 and 10.5.2. Quite a difference from Vista's regression in speed from XP, with SP1 barely catching up to the benchmarks of XP, in only some areas.

Xbench is a flawed benchmark tool,I get widely different results after each test run.Tiger does feel slower-- but don't use Xbench as a definitive tool.

 

[8CoreWhore]

Not Neccessarily

No new GPU beans spilled in this update. The only GMA X3100 related file that is updated is the one that I posted.

The drivers for new GPU's could ship with new MacBooks and not be in this update because we don't have that GPU.

 

[BillyBobBongo]

WTF is Apple smoking these days

iSmoke!?

 

[shadowmoses]

Nice update.... Addressed some important issues for me anyway, plus things seem snappier. I wonder if this solves the problems some mac's were having with Airport connection under 10.5.4......

Well here's to new MacBooks to coincide with this release

ShadoW

 

[empezar]

Still no push Mac -> MobileMe.

I'm so disappointed.

 

[iLLucionist]

I should do the same...

Not bashing, just curious... why would you reinstall a mac with mac os x? For AFAIK you only need to do that with windows or sometimes with linux when package repository is messed up or something like that.

 

[Am3822]

Still no support for multi-lingual set-ups -- i.e., no multiple input locations.

That sucks.

 

[Veri]

I didn't let the update finish and now my computer is just a scale model of the titanic. 1: 2,000

2,000:1 here. They say she's unthinkable.

 

[emmab2006]

Cant seem to find anything relating to the new Macbooks in any Kexts , which might just indicate another update or the same internals and a new shiny cover ...

 

[aendaman]

I don't have an iPhone, I don't use Time Machine, I rarely use Spotlight... Why should I bother?

You might want to start bothering by using time machine...

 

[MartiNZ]

Not bashing, just curious... why would you reinstall a mac with mac os x? For AFAIK you only need to do that with windows or sometimes with linux when package repository is messed up or something like that.

I'll butt in on this. My last install of OS X lasted three months. Main reason was I was wanting to up the size of my boot camp partition so thought I'd go the whole hog. But in my OS X history (since 10.1.2) I have reinstalled about every six months. It definitely makes everything feel much faster again, and sometimes properly applies fixes that it just decided to skip in point point updates the time before.

I reinstall OS X far more often than I ever would Windows, because a) it's a real hassle to reinstall Windows; and b) the way I use Windows, it doesn't seem to slow down over time.

As I said earlier, I have more issues with Leopard after 11 months than I have ever had with an install of Windows. After 10.5.5, the menubar still doesn't follow application focus, the iTunes dashboard widget still doesn't work properly; sidebar behaviour is not correct in open/save dialogs, I'm still getting a fully dimmed screen on wake from sleep occasionally, just randomly, and I assume all the other wacky wake-from-sleep issues persist .. time will tell.

I have not had any issues at all with my Vista 64-bit boot camp install. I prefer to use OS X, but it has been a lot less pleasant than it should have been this last 11 months!

 

[8CoreWhore]

Why Updates Come In Different Sizes

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1228?viewlocale=en_US

"Sometimes, Software Update preferences is able to offer a "smaller-sized Delta" update than you might expect, or smaller than what you might see on other computers installing the same update. The "smaller Delta" updates are offered when some Mac OS X system files can be modified instead of replaced in their entirety. See "Why are some computers not offered a smaller update?""

 

[hh83917]

I updated my several Macs with the "Software Update" and they were all fine but there were permission issues when I did a verify permission on all of them. I found they were new ones and they cannot be fixed like in 10.5.4. I downloaded the 316mb 10.5.5 updater from Apple because someone in the forums say so (I've never installed updates manually before because I am just lazy and thought it doesn't really matter). I installed the 10.5.5 again, this time manually with the download. I verified permission after it restarts and there were 2 problems, I clicked repair permissions and now my disk utility said there is no permission problems when I did another verify. I was surprised that there is finally no errors in my permissions after so many versions of OSX updates. So I manually reinstalled the downloaded version of 10.5.5 update on all my Macs and they are now permission error free.

This is the one I downloaded if anyone is interested: Link

PS: I've read some of the guys here said to download the 10.5.5 combo update but I guess it wasn't out yet when I was looking for it on Apple's website (I only saw the Combo 10.5.5 OSX Server version) so I got the regular 10.5.5 Update (316mb). But that fixed the permission issues on all my Macs (there were 4 and 2 were old PPC ones). Now the question is, does it really matter installing the Combo Update vs the non-Combo Update?

 

[ai-pdn]

Dead mini

First I updated an old PowerBook and everything went OK. Then I did the Mini (1.67 Core Duo). Rebooted OK, auto-login ok, but with beach ball icon and couldn't do anything (dock, apps, menu all unresponsive). Couldn't connect with Remote Management or SSH as I usually do. Didn't want to hurt the disk too much so I put it to sleep (was still responding to single click of hardware switch) and then pulled the plug. On boot, folder with question mark. Booted from DVD, went to disk utility and the internal drive shows no partitions. Any ideas?

 

[Tosser]

I updated my several Macs with the "Software Update" and they were all fine but there were permission issues when I did a verify permission on all of them. I found they were new ones and they cannot be fixed like in 10.5.4. I downloaded the 316mb 10.5.5 updater from Apple because someone in the forums say so (I've never installed updates manually before because I am just lazy and thought it doesn't really matter). I installed the 10.5.5 again, this time manually with the download. I verified permission after it restarts and there were 2 problems, I clicked repair permissions and now my disk utility said there is no permission problems when I did another verify. I was surprised that there is finally no errors in my permissions after so many versions of OSX updates. So I manually reinstalled the downloaded version of 10.5.5 update on all my Macs and they are now permission error free.

This is the one I downloaded if anyone is interested: Link

PS: I've read some of the guys here said to download the 10.5.5 combo update but I guess it wasn't out yet when I was looking for it on Apple's website (I only saw the Combo 10.5.5 OSX Server version) so I got the regular 10.5.5 Update (316mb). But that fixed the permission issues on all my Macs (there were 4 and 2 were old PPC ones). Now the question is, does it really matter installing the Combo Update vs the non-Combo Update?

It doesn't always matter. But it's the safer bet.
Downloading the combo-updater avoids most of the problems encountered when downloading the smaller updates – at least that's my and many other's experience and the main reason for downloading the combo update.

Edit:

Ai, I'm not ignoring you, I am just at a loss – never heard about such a problem. I hope someone else will be able to help you.

 

[hh83917]

It doesn't always matter. But it's the safer bet.
Downloading the combo-updater avoids most of the problems encountered when downloading the smaller updates – at least that's my and many other's experience and the main reason for downloading the combo update.

Edit:

Ai, I'm not ignoring you, I am just at a loss – never heard about such a problem. I hope someone else will be able to help you.

Thank you for the quick reply Tosser. Since I've manually installed the 10.5.5 regular update, no permission error shows up so I guess I'll leave it at that unless something is broken. Well, if something is not broken, why try fixing it right? Never the less, I did downloaded the 10.5.5 Combo Update just in case I need it with any one of the machines.

 

[newyorkguy]

I wonder if this solves the problems some mac's were having with Airport connection under 10.5.4......



ShadoW

I would never bet on that. The issues have been untouched since 10.5.1 - 10.5.4.

 

[mashkina]

Top bar opaque??

With 10.5.5 my top bar is not anymore translucent!
I have checked the box in the System Preferences and it seems that the transparency is so small that it is almost opaque.

Has anyone noticed that??

 

[Tosser]

Thank you for the quick reply Tosser. Since I've manually installed the 10.5.5 regular update, no permission error shows up so I guess I'll leave it at that unless something is broken. Well, if something is not broken, why try fixing it right? Never the less, I did downloaded the 10.5.5 Combo Update just in case I need it with any one of the machines.

No problem

Btw, I'd erase that combo updater unless I had a very slow connection and download it again if needed. It is after all taking up 608MB unnecessarily if not needed.

 

[Bigtree]

I'll bet apple has a bulletin board full of these comments just for laughs!

I can hear them chuckle right now.......

 

[MartiNZ]

I'll bet apple has a bulletin board full of these comments just for laughs!

I can hear them chuckle right now.......

I can believe that. I can picture them having printed out all 20+ of my bug reports for iTunes dashboard widget crashes - being at least one for every iteration of OS X since Tiger's release (10.4.0, 10.4.1, ..., 10.4.11; 10.5.0, ..., 10.5.5) ... and having made some bizarre pattern arrangement out of them.

Whatever they've been doing about it, they haven't fixed it in 3.5 years!