Apple seeds Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger build 8A294 to ADC

True to reports, the company on Saturday began notifying its Apple Developer Connection (ADC) members that they could begin downloading and testing a new pre-release version of the next generation Mac operating system.

The software— labeled Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger build 8A294— is being distributed as a 1976MB downloadable DVD image. This is the first time that Apple has offered builds of Tiger through its multi-tier ADC system.

In June, Apple distributed the first preview release of Tiger to developers attending its World Wide Developer Conference. Since that time, few builds of the maturing OS have made their way beyond company walls.

According to sources, the latest seed includes one of the most recent compiles of the Tiger OS. Apple has also begun to distribute new versions of Tiger Server to its employees, but has not yet offered this software through its ADC system.

Earlier this week, Apple upgraded its ADC distribution system in preparation for the new Tiger builds. Sources are reporting completed downloads of the near 2GB Tiger image in less than 2 hours.