OS X stability?

[Dartholomew]

I'm new to Macs (new Penryn iMac owner here) but have been using PCs for years. So far, I've been very impressed with how elegant and seamless the hardware and software is. Even third party apps seem to be crafted with more care!

However, during my first 48 hours or so with the machine, I've noticed a few things that I wasn't expecting, in particular in regards to stability. For one, all of a sudden the resize handle in the bottom right stopped working on finder windows. It continued to work in apps, but the finder wasn't changing sizes. Also, Safari crashed on me on a javascript load (gmail I think) and I couldn't force-quit.

I've run into a couple other minor quirks equivalent to these. Usually a force-quit or reboot solves the problem, but as a new user I wonder if these are common (or at least, not-infrequent) events that should be expected from time to time, or if it's indicative of something else. I know I shouldn't expect perfection, but I guess I've been colored by all those Mac ads making fun of how easily Windows machines crash. My XP SP2/SP3 laptop usually has uptimes of 60+ days, and to me seems rock solid. What should I expect with OS X?

 

[Killyp]

Leopard at present isn't particularly stable - but Apple have lagged when it comes to keeping it up to date IMO.

Tiger was stable much sooner. Tiger version 11 is fantastically stable.

Apple will put things right by 10.5.5 IMO.

 

[Dartholomew]

Leopard at present isn't particularly stable - but Apple have lagged when it comes to keeping it up to date IMO.

Tiger was stable much sooner. Tiger version 11 is fantastically stable.

Apple will put things right by 10.5.5 IMO.

Ah, the first thing I did was update to 10.5.3. I hadn't considered the implications of a new OS release. Thanks for that.

 

[Consultant]

Have you Repair Permissions?

You can find more info on the yellow section on page
https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/69/

 

[xristy]

marvelous stability

I'm a long time user of many Macs and the OS X series from the beginning and I can assure you that 10.5.0-3 is fantastically stable.

It stably allows sshd processes to run-away with whatever cores you have: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1277952.

It stably doesn't permit the Apple USB modem to perform normal dial-up functions without freezing the machine: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1398482.

Further, it stably will hang the bluetooth GPRS modem daemon in a "connecting" or "disconnecting" state requiring a reboot to clear: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1201794 and http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1269370 and http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1201794.

All of these have been issues since 10.5.0 and were each working robustly in 10.4.x. These are not new features in fact one might say they are core features and the fact that they remain broken through three system updates causes me to really seriously question whether Apple engineering has taken their eye off the ball. I've managed system software development in the past at a competitor and any one of these problems would have been show stoppers and fixed pretty darn fast. These aren't fringe features or functionality.

X

 

[HaveBlue83]

I've got some......

1. Fix the issue with the Finder Hanging and running at 100% + untill you restart. force quit, and it's right back to 90-105%, running at 197DEG. OMG, such a pain....

2. cooling it better........

3. i LOVED the keyboard of my iBook and iBook G4. Best keyboard ever. I make far more errors with this one...needs beveled edges on the keys and it would be great.

4. Again.....lit keys....

5. MORE THAN 2 USB DRIVES!!!!!!!!! at least 3-4........always a pain.....

That's all of the BIG issues.......others are little things that are self-induced....hehehe.....

BTW, have been with apple since the Performa 6300......so I know the quirks of apple. My iBook g4 was very stable with 10.4.11, just ran out of room and it was getting old. Still have it, runs good......just time for another.