Prince McLeanA list of bugs accompanying the latest pre-release build of Apple Inc.'s Leopard operating system appears to have swelled somewhat since the Cupertino-based company last seeded the software to developers in early March.
Of those issues, the most critical appear to affect the system's installation process, Apple's QuickTime digital media software, and graphics corruption with some graphics hardware, the reports state.
The latest Leopard builds also appear to be plagued by printing bugs and glitches in updated versions of the Mac maker's iChat video conference software and PhotoBooth applications.
At the same time, it's reported that a list of approximately 20 "Miscellaneous" bugs spans across a broad range system components, including iCal, iTunes, Safari, Mail and FileVault.
The 5.3-gigabyte Leopard build release this week, unlike the seeds that preceded it, is said to contain only a handful of notable changes, most pertaining to updates to the software's various underlying frameworks.
One application in particular that continues to receive refinements is the Terminal application, according to those reports posted on the Web. However, those changes include only subtle modifications to the software's window settings.
Apple last seeded a pre-release version of Leopard to developers in early March, when it released Mac OS X Leopard (Client) Build 9A377a.
Despite the outstanding issues with Leopard, the growing consensus amongst insiders and industry analysts is that Apple anticipates a release of the software around the time its World Wide Developers Conference rolls around in mid-June.
For its part, Apple has maintained that it will not delay the release of the next-generation OS, but at the same time has yet to reveal or broadly test a number of "top secret" features said to be lingering in builds of the software held down closely at its Cupertino-based headquarters.
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44 Comments
If this is what you're considering a large list then you've never been on the inside managing OS X.
Debian Etch had over 500 outstanding issues 2 months prior to it being stamped April 08, 2007.
Linux Kernel sees hundreds of fixes within a few months.
"Plagued"? Please! It's software under development. Stating that it's "plagued" by bugs is just dumb. Dial back the drama a notch or two.
IF Apple are keeping a lot of features under wraps as they claimed last year when Steve Jobs pre-announced some features of Leopard it would make sense that there are major problems with items like upgrades and installation.
Remember how long Apple were running OSX on Intel chips BEFORE they lanuched the Intel range of Mac!?!
I'd be willing to bet that Leopard is on schedule and I'm not a gambling man :-)
If this is what you're considering a large list then you've never been on the inside managing OS X.
Debian Etch had over 500 outstanding issues 2 months prior to it being stamped April 08, 2007.
Linux Kernel sees hundreds of fixes within a few months.
I think the "three dozen" estimation concerns serious bugs, some of which critical. This report, like the previous ones from AI, is not too encouraging.
Fortunately, and unfortunately Apple will meet the deadline. Having been an Apple user since 1984, and an early adopter (that I have since foregone because of experience) I see Apple releasing Leopard with a slew of updates to follow. Not to say that updates would not be necessary it Apple had all the in the world to develop Leopard, as there is no way around them, but I will not be jumping on the Leopard wagon when Leopard is first released. Believe me, I want to, but I know better.
Apple really has no choice but to release Leopard or Apple's stock will take a hit. That's what happens when you are a publicly traded company.