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Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., this week released an updater for its Mac OS X operating system, bringing it to Version 10.3.7.
According to technical notes accompanying the release, the update addresses an issue that arose in previous updates wherein some FireWire hard drives would not mount when attached to the Macintosh computer.
In addition, Mac OS X 10.3.7 fixes networking issues in Safari and Mail as well as other Web browsers and e-mail clients in which the applications could encounter losses of connectivity. This issue arose on systems that had installed Apples Security Update 2004-09-30 and Mac OS X 10.3.5 or later.
Other network-related fixes include improved printing to some Windows-based print servers and better handling of file names longer than 31 characters when the files are saved on a remote server.
The update also improves compatibility for some FireWire-based audio interfaces and allows TextEdit, Mac OS Xs bundled text editor, to open more RTF documents.
The balance of changes in Mac OS X 10.3.7 focus on graphics. Specifically citing the multiplayer online game “World of Warcraft” from Irvine, Calif.-based Blizzard Entertainment, the release notes state that the update addresses frame rate, vertex shader and color issues that could arise when running the game on Mac OS X 10.3.6 or earlier.
Other graphics tweaks include improved compatibility with Apples own 22-inch Cinema Display, a fix for a “flash of lines” after waking from sleep display issue with certain video cards, the ability to display E-Trade PDF account statements in Apples Preview application, better printing of shadowed text in a PDF and better support for 3-D surfaces in Pacific Techs Graphing Calculator 3.5.
The detailed support notes can be found here. An Apple representative was unable to comment at press time.
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