Brief Hands-On Report--Mac OS X 10.4.4

As we noted yesterday, Mac OS X 10.4.4 client and server editions have been released and are available via the Software Update application or as a stand-alone updater (client and server). According to the client Read Me file,

The 10.4.4 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users.

It includes fixes for:

- SMB/CIFS and NFS network file services
- Bluetooth wireless access
- Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- Spotlight indexing and searching
- AppleScript, iChat, DVD Player, and Safari applications
- Dashboard widgets: Calendar and Stocks
- Software Update and Sync Services
- compatibility with USB and FireWire devices and third party applications
- previous standalone security updates

We downloaded and installed Mac OS X 10.4.4 via the Software Update application on a 867MHz PowerBook G4 and a Rev. A 20" iMac G5 without a problem. We have used our Macs for several hours now and no glitches have shown up. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]