Operating System software is an entity that lives and breaths on it's own. It requires little tweaks and enhancements here and there to make it better, and to fix problems. Such is the case with Apple's Tiger OS X, 10.4, and the release to 10.4.3 Let's look at some of the highlights of the update.

Available by web or via Apple's Software Update, the software is available in 2 formats: a Delta Update that will work with 10.4.2 --> 10.4.3 or a Combo Update that will 10.4.0 and all inbetween --> 10.4.3

Apple's website details all of the updates -- inside here, I will briefly discuss some that have caught my eye.

Finder -- work was done with spotlight to increase responsiveness. The Finder was also enhanced to work better with non-Roman language versions, and also with copying rules. Remember that Apple OS X is based on Unix, and case text makes a difference in file names. While Aqua might think the files are named the same, Darwin will identify them differently.

Safari -- now passes the Acid2 test (web standards are important), improves compatability with webcams.

Networking -- enhancements to SMB file mounting and passwords that contained quotation marks.

Mail -- corrected some minor quirks of the mail program. Also repaired problems when Microsoft Outlook sends a meeting request to an Apple Mail user, and the calendar item would not appear.

Other OS Issues resolved include Palm Desktop issues, window scrolling, conversion dictionaries, Quartz 2D, MS-DOS formatted volume use, and AppleScript.

This update is loaded with a bunch of new features, and if you own OS X Tiger, it would be a good idea to check it out. Of course, backup all of your data first.

Christian