Mac OS X 10.3.3 is out

dzurn · 03-15-2004, 05:41 PM

I have not installed it yet, but just now I found Software Update has 10.3.3, listed as a 58.8 MB update.

Here's the text:

"The 10.3.3 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" and is recommended for all users.

Key enhancements include:

network volumes are now available in the Finder sidebar and Desktop for convenient access
improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS) and PC (SMB/CIFS) networks
improved PostScript and USB printing
updated Disk Utility, DVD Player, Image Capture, Mail and Safari applications
additional support for FireWire and USB devices
improved compatibility for third party applications
previous standalone security updates and Bluetooth Update 1.5

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n25711

Phil St. Romain · 03-15-2004, 05:50 PM

Comments of a general nature welcomed. Use System troubleshooting forum to discuss problems.

vancenase · 03-15-2004, 05:58 PM

yummmie ... any takers yet?

xchanyazy · 03-15-2004, 06:46 PM

Installed it (and the server version, which was ~70 MB). No problems with my standard applications (safari, mail, ichat, ms office, transmit, itunes). It did fix a problem I had been having with my print queue being stopped at seemingly random times (at least, so far *knocks on wood*).
No data loss, all my preferences seemed to stay good, so no noticeable problems so far.

The computer I installed server on has a processor card upgrade (OWC Mercury Extreme 1.2 GHz) and a Radeon 8500 AGP card, also non-stock.

The computer I installed client on is a 700 mHz G3 iBook.

griffman · 03-15-2004, 07:08 PM

Installed on my workaholic 12" PowerBook. No problems as of yet, and the network browsing improvements are MOST welcome!

-rob.

Craig R. Arko · 03-15-2004, 07:33 PM

Looking OK on the B&W G3. I also appreciate the more rational network browsing.

edit - BTW, the kernel is revved to 7.3.0 and the build number is 7F44, for people who keep track of that sort of thing.

Phil St. Romain · 03-15-2004, 08:33 PM

Merged another identical thread into this one.

Carry on . . .

Norm Nager · 03-15-2004, 09:34 PM

Quote:


	Originally posted by Phil St. Romain Merged another identical thread into this one. Carry on . . .

Phil, may I suggest a sticky in System forum to let folks know that 10.3.3 reports are here? (When 10.3.3 came out on versiontracker.com, that was the first place I checked.)

As I posted on the versiontracker.com site:

Beige G3+QuickSilver G4 * * * * * __nnager__
Version: 10.3.3, 3/15/2004 06:07PM PST
Disk Utility's Repair Permissions found some privileges that needed fixing on both the 266-mhz G3 and 733-mhz QuickSilver G4, but both machines seem more responsive.

The Beige G3, one of the Mac models that is not supported by Apple for any version of Panther because it lacks factory-built-in USB, has been running like a Swiss clock in 10.3.2 and continues to do so in 10.3.3. (I installed 10.3.0 with an alpha version of XPostFacto and have used SoftwareUpdate to bring it up to 10.3.3.)

A faster Safari 1.2.1 was an added bonus with the 10.3.3 update. Apple's own Apple.com discussion groups, however, are still still slow to load which I suspect is not the fault of Safari; they're also slow to load with Explorer.

Norton Personal Firewall put up some dialogues on both the Beige G3 and QuickSilver G4 about possible vulnerabilities but when I ran NPF 3.0.2 through Symantec's security check, both passed the tests.

Everything else thus far seems to work fine.

Thanks, Apple, for your responsiveness and quality control!

Emeritus Professor of Communications (Ret.)

By the way, I re-read the Apple Knowledge Base article on 10.3.3 and didn't find the new version of Safari mentioned. Maybe that's me. But if it isn't, I wonder what other changes might have been made?

Respectfully, Norm

Phil St. Romain · 03-15-2004, 10:00 PM

Norm, we don't seem to have any System troubleshooting threads going yet. Most of the regulars know that general comments go here and troubleshoots go there, but there's always a bit of inconsistency about this for awhile.

I read your report on VT. Most encouraging! I've not done the great deed yet as I have to backup everything first and just haven't gotten around to all that yet. Besides, I'm having no problems with 10.3.2, so we'll see.

Norm Nager · 03-15-2004, 10:54 PM

Quote:


	Originally posted by Phil St. Romain Norm, we don't seem to have any System troubleshooting threads going yet. Most of the regulars know that general comments go here and troubleshoots go there, but there's always a bit of inconsistency about this for awhile. I read your report on VT. Most encouraging! I've not done the great deed yet as I have to backup everything first and just haven't gotten around to all that yet. Besides, I'm having no problems with 10.3.2, so we'll see.

Thanks for making that clear, Phil. I just ran TechTool Pro 4.0.1's file and volume tests on my Beige G3 and it found no problems. DiskWarrior 3.0.1 found about 17% out-of-order when I graphed--something I'd expect. (And because the 267-mhz Beige is not the fastest machine in the world, I let DW do its thing).

You're wise to backup and wait a bit. I remember all the bugs in the first public release of 10.2.8, the one Apple replaced a few days later. Despite the excellence of DW and TTP, I ended up erasing the single hard drive I had in those days and doing a clean install of Apple's 2nd 10.2.8.

vancenase · 03-16-2004, 08:24 AM

no major changes noticed here (and, importantly, no bad ones; i don't use network file sharing in the normal sense, so many of the new networking features are untoched on my end).

i'd like to see Apple speed up access to bookmarks. i know i have a lot, but the first time i access them under Safari it takes 10-15 seconds (maybe not that long) for the menu to pull down (on the bookmarks bar). anyone know of a workaround? i've heard of shortening the bookmark name, but i really don't want go to through all my bookmarks to do that.

i did not backup, but i did do a full backup 1-2 weeks ago when i thought my system had a problem ... so I'll throw in the 'i recommend a backup of important files' to the ones that have been implied so far

oh, i did notice a change ... 'About This Mac' reports OS 10.3.3

yellow · 03-16-2004, 10:14 AM

Slightly annoying that it makes you re-register with Apple. What is the point of this?

zacht · 03-16-2004, 10:34 AM

At this point, everything is pretty much OK.

How to ruin your evening in three easy steps:

1. Start the 10.3.3 upgrade (on 12" G4 PB).
2. When it's about 40% done, put iPod in dock.
3. Watch as kernel panic devours computer.

It only took me two hours to find my system discs, and another hour or two to get everything backed up onto my iPod (it is a force both for good and for evil). Six hours (including a nap) after the kernel panic, the "Erase and Install" was finally done; and this morning I copied everything back from my iPod, including the music. (And believe me, I'm leaving the backups on my iPod...)

Well, at this point everything is humming along nicely. Still reinstalling Fink, but after that I should be all set.

On a different note:

Some preferences seem different, but I'm not sure if they are new in 10.3.3 or a previous version. For example, in Appearance, "Turn off text smoothing..." has 4 and 6 as choices; 8 used to be the smallest choice. The Keyboard pane now has an F-key option allowing you to reverse the behavior of the "Fn" key. This seems to address something petey had included in his wish-list when Panther first came out. If you're around, petey---does this actually do what you wanted? I'm curious.

zach

vancenase · 03-16-2004, 10:50 AM

Quote:


	Originally posted by yellow Slightly annoying that it makes you re-register with Apple. What is the point of this?

i didn't see this -- did it popup afterwards?

yellow · 03-16-2004, 11:01 AM

On my work machine, it popped up after I rebooted and logged in. It was the OS X Setup Assistant. After filling out the fields it sent the reg to Apple and bade me to have fun on the internet.

On my home machine it did not pop up, but it killed my network connection and I had to request a new DHCP lease from my router. I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that it meant to but didn't come up correctly.

I have a laptop that I will try it on later today and report back.

griffman · 03-16-2004, 12:05 PM

I upgraded four machines, and not one of them popped up the reg assistant. Odd...

-rob.

yellow · 03-16-2004, 12:10 PM

Yep, laptop didn't ask for it either. Guess it was an anomaly, as was the dropped network connection.

NeutronMonk · 03-16-2004, 12:57 PM

Zach-
Sorry to hear about your experience. I must say it's not wise to mess with the system in any way while doing an upgrade- I wouldn't even plug a mouse in my Powerbook while upgrading! That said, here is my upgrade procedure that has worked successfully for me since 10.1 (I have never had a problem, ever, aside from the odd preference change [while I find some wood to knock on...I'll be upgrading later today

])
Back up data!
Unplug any peripheral devices that you might have connected, except maybe third-party mice. Especially firewire drives, cameras, etc. Oh, and iPods!

Un-mount any networked volumes that you have (you can see a theme developing here

)
Close all programs (the installer usually does this...)
Run cron scripts and repair permissions.
Upgrade away!
Don't touch anything until it's done!
Powerbook users: plug in to your power supply!

Dave

mclbruce · 03-16-2004, 02:42 PM

Quote:


	Originally posted by yellow Slightly annoying that it makes you re-register with Apple. What is the point of this?

Probably a bug. Note that you can quit out of the registration process with command-Q. I do it all the time when setting up new machines.

NeutronMonk · 03-16-2004, 06:42 PM

After reading enough about the update, I pulled the trigger... did the usual, everything went fine. So far, so good. Though I haven't yet tested all the networking updates (I will tomorrow, when I get back to work [snow day here in NY!

] and connect to the unholy mess that is the corporate network [and my own in house "graphics" network that is comprised of SGI, Mac, and PC machines]), I can confirm that the biggest change for us users of Powerbooks, the ability to reverse the function of the "fn" key, does indeed work. You will lose the F12 key as an eject key, unless, of course, you press the fn key. Under the Keyboard and Mouse pref pane, this change is under the first tab, "Keyboard"; check mark "use the F1-F12 keys for custom actions". Apparently Apple considers using the function keys for function key functionality "custom" (at least for Powerbooks). Still with me? By the way, I had to log out/in to effect this change.

03-15-2004, 05:41 PM	#1
dzurn Triple-A Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Western Wisconsin, 3rd Rock Posts: 139	10.3.3 Available! I have not installed it yet, but just now I found Software Update has 10.3.3, listed as a 58.8 MB update. Here's the text: "The 10.3.3 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" and is recommended for all users. Key enhancements include: network volumes are now available in the Finder sidebar and Desktop for convenient access improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS) and PC (SMB/CIFS) networks improved PostScript and USB printing updated Disk Utility, DVD Player, Image Capture, Mail and Safari applications additional support for FireWire and USB devices improved compatibility for third party applications previous standalone security updates and Bluetooth Update 1.5 For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n25711 __________________ :: I yam Popeye of Borg. :: :: Prepares ta be akskimilgrated. ::

03-15-2004, 05:50 PM	#2
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	Mac OS X 10.3.3 is out Comments of a general nature welcomed. Use System troubleshooting forum to discuss problems.

03-15-2004, 06:46 PM	#4
xchanyazy All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Dexter, MI, USA Posts: 704	Installed it (and the server version, which was ~70 MB). No problems with my standard applications (safari, mail, ichat, ms office, transmit, itunes). It did fix a problem I had been having with my print queue being stopped at seemingly random times (at least, so far knocks on wood). No data loss, all my preferences seemed to stay good, so no noticeable problems so far. The computer I installed server on has a processor card upgrade (OWC Mercury Extreme 1.2 GHz) and a Radeon 8500 AGP card, also non-stock. The computer I installed client on is a 700 mHz G3 iBook. __________________ - Greg Happy user of OS X since the Public Beta. Help Team Mac OS X cure cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's, and more!

03-15-2004, 10:00 PM	#9
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	Re: Five stars EVEN on Beige G3 (as well as QuickSilver G4) Norm, we don't seem to have any System troubleshooting threads going yet. Most of the regulars know that general comments go here and troubleshoots go there, but there's always a bit of inconsistency about this for awhile. I read your report on VT. Most encouraging! I've not done the great deed yet as I have to backup everything first and just haven't gotten around to all that yet. Besides, I'm having no problems with 10.3.2, so we'll see.

03-16-2004, 10:34 AM	#13
zacht Prospect Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Hammond, LA Posts: 44	How not to upgrade --- and, changed preferences? At this point, everything is pretty much OK. How to ruin your evening in three easy steps: 1. Start the 10.3.3 upgrade (on 12" G4 PB). 2. When it's about 40% done, put iPod in dock. 3. Watch as kernel panic devours computer. It only took me two hours to find my system discs, and another hour or two to get everything backed up onto my iPod (it is a force both for good and for evil). Six hours (including a nap) after the kernel panic, the "Erase and Install" was finally done; and this morning I copied everything back from my iPod, including the music. (And believe me, I'm leaving the backups on my iPod...) Well, at this point everything is humming along nicely. Still reinstalling Fink, but after that I should be all set. On a different note: Some preferences seem different, but I'm not sure if they are new in 10.3.3 or a previous version. For example, in Appearance, "Turn off text smoothing..." has 4 and 6 as choices; 8 used to be the smallest choice. The Keyboard pane now has an F-key option allowing you to reverse the behavior of the "Fn" key. This seems to address something petey had included in his wish-list when Panther first came out. If you're around, petey---does this actually do what you wanted? I'm curious. zach

03-15-2004, 05:58 PM	#3
vancenase All Star Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: OH Posts: 934	yummmie ... any takers yet?

03-15-2004, 07:08 PM	#5
griffman MVP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,472	Installed on my workaholic 12" PowerBook. No problems as of yet, and the network browsing improvements are MOST welcome! -rob.

03-15-2004, 07:33 PM	#6
Craig R. Arko Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,988	Looking OK on the B&W G3. I also appreciate the more rational network browsing. edit - BTW, the kernel is revved to 7.3.0 and the build number is 7F44, for people who keep track of that sort of thing.

03-15-2004, 08:33 PM	#7
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	Merged another identical thread into this one. Carry on . . .

03-16-2004, 08:24 AM	#11
vancenase All Star Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: OH Posts: 934	no major changes noticed here (and, importantly, no bad ones; i don't use network file sharing in the normal sense, so many of the new networking features are untoched on my end). i'd like to see Apple speed up access to bookmarks. i know i have a lot, but the first time i access them under Safari it takes 10-15 seconds (maybe not that long) for the menu to pull down (on the bookmarks bar). anyone know of a workaround? i've heard of shortening the bookmark name, but i really don't want go to through all my bookmarks to do that. i *did not* backup, but i did do a full backup 1-2 weeks ago when i thought my system had a problem ... so I'll throw in the 'i recommend a backup of important files' to the ones that have been implied so far oh, i did notice a change ... 'About This Mac' reports OS 10.3.3

03-16-2004, 10:14 AM	#12
yellow Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 10,677	Slightly annoying that it makes you re-register with Apple. What is the point of this?

03-16-2004, 11:01 AM	#15
yellow Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 10,677	On my work machine, it popped up after I rebooted and logged in. It was the OS X Setup Assistant. After filling out the fields it sent the reg to Apple and bade me to have fun on the internet. On my home machine it did not pop up, but it killed my network connection and I had to request a new DHCP lease from my router. I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that it meant to but didn't come up correctly. I have a laptop that I will try it on later today and report back.

03-16-2004, 12:05 PM	#16
griffman MVP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,472	I upgraded four machines, and not one of them popped up the reg assistant. Odd... -rob.

03-16-2004, 12:10 PM	#17
yellow Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 10,677	Yep, laptop didn't ask for it either. Guess it was an anomaly, as was the dropped network connection.

03-16-2004, 12:57 PM	#18
NeutronMonk Triple-A Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: jersey Posts: 100	Zach- Sorry to hear about your experience. I must say it's not wise to mess with the system in any way while doing an upgrade- I wouldn't even plug a mouse in my Powerbook while upgrading! That said, here is my upgrade procedure that has worked successfully for me since 10.1 (I have never had a problem, ever, aside from the odd preference change [while I find some wood to knock on...I'll be upgrading later today ]) Back up data! Unplug any peripheral devices that you might have connected, except maybe third-party mice. Especially firewire drives, cameras, etc. Oh, and iPods! Un-mount any networked volumes that you have (you can see a theme developing here ) Close all programs (the installer usually does this...) Run cron scripts and repair permissions. Upgrade away! Don't touch anything until it's done! Powerbook users: plug in to your power supply! Dave Last edited by NeutronMonk; 03-16-2004 at 01:07 PM.

03-16-2004, 06:42 PM	#20
NeutronMonk Triple-A Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: jersey Posts: 100	After reading enough about the update, I pulled the trigger... did the usual, everything went fine. So far, so good. Though I haven't yet tested all the networking updates (I will tomorrow, when I get back to work [snow day here in NY! ] and connect to the unholy mess that is the corporate network [and my own in house "graphics" network that is comprised of SGI, Mac, and PC machines]), I can confirm that the biggest change for us users of Powerbooks, the ability to reverse the function of the "fn" key, does indeed work. You will lose the F12 key as an eject key, unless, of course, you press the fn key. Under the Keyboard and Mouse pref pane, this change is under the first tab, "Keyboard"; check mark "use the F1-F12 keys for custom actions". Apparently Apple considers using the function keys for function key functionality "custom" (at least for Powerbooks). Still with me? By the way, I had to log out/in to effect this change.