Inside Mac OS 10.0.1 Update

As mentioned in a previous article, Apple has been making diligent attempts to squash bugs and speed up system performance of their new Mac OS X software, via a software update to be released sometime this month.

The release, which began its seeding process last week, advanced from build 4L6 to build 4L7 this Monday. The 4L7 build of the system update consists of three core parts: the first update is of the Software Update component, while the second consists of certain system component enhancements, and the third an update to the Mac OS X Epson printer drivers.

Included in 4L7 is a new version of Software Update for Mac OS X, which the company is touting as an integral part of Mac OS X's potential success. "Software Update is an important part of making Mac OS X an even better OS and we want developers to be part of it," reads, in part, a recently distributed Apple Developer document.

The new version of Software Update, 1.3.1, aims to deliver improved network performance and status reporting. The release also implements support for proxy authentication and resolves an issue for certain Dual Power Mac G4 systems.

Mac OS 10.0.1 Build 4L7 Directory

In/Out interfaces such as USB, SCSI, and Serial are also being enhanced to support more disk drives, as well as contain several bug fixes. To name one in particular, KeySpan serial drivers will now work correctly under Mac OS 10.0.1 update.

Classic will see noticeable speed increases running under version 10.0.1 and problems involving the disappearing cursor under the Classic environment and confusion between Carbon vs. Classic application launches will also be corrected.

Improvements to the Login Window and screen saver in Mac OS 10 are being made to implement better support for multiple displays and auto login, sources added. Meanwhile, an update to the ATSUI and Xnu libraries will fix menu Command Key bugs and address hangs and panics which can occur with the release build 4K78, respectively.

Additionally, a new version of AFP Client will be revised for better compatibility as will a version of the Libc component. The included set of updated Epson Printer Drivers are said to enable printing for the Japanese language.

The Mac OS 10.0.1 software update is on a very short turnaround process, sources said, with builds being frozen almost daily. The company plans to ship the release over the internet via Mac OS X's Software Update application sometime in the coming weeks.