Category Archives: Software – New, Upgrades, & Updates

What’s new and improved … or maybe just new …

Apple issues Mac OS X 10.7.3 Lion Update

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Apple today released Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3. The 1.2 Gb Combo Update (always use the Combo update) includes operating system fixes “that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac”, including:

  • Corrects Wi-Fi connection issues when waking from sleep
  • Corrects an issue that may prevent Safari from opening before joining a wireless network
  • Adds RAW support for eleven additional digital cameras, including compact new interchangeable-lens models from Nikon, Sony, and Olympus
  • Corrects graphics performance issue after sleep on some earlier iMacs that use ATI graphics chips
  • Corrects compatibility issues with Windows file sharing
  • Corrects issues when using smart cards to log into OS X
  • Resolves issues authenticating with directory services
  • Corrects an issue printing Microsoft Word documents that use markup
  • Adds Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support

The update can be applied via Apple Software Update, however I recommend you use the direct download and install of Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 Combo Updater. This provides a cleaner install with less possibility of problems.

In addition an update to Mac OS X 10.7.3 Server was also released.

Flip4Mac Windows Media Plug-in Updated

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Flip4Mac - QuickTime Plug-InFlip4Mac – the QuickTime plug-in that allows you to play (free) and export (fee) Windows Media files within QuickTime Player plus the Safari, Firefox, and Chrome web browsers – has been updated to version 2.4.1.4. The new version adds a progress indicator while waiting for streams to buffer in web browsers.

In addition, the update corrects a number of issues, including:

  • Fixed numerous problems in the Web browser plug-in that prevented streaming and playback of various sites and other problems with clicking and scrolling while in the plug-in.
  • Fixed a warning dialog issue with DRM protected content.
  • Fixed numerous problems in the Web browser plug-in that prevented streaming/playback of various sites plus other problems with clicking and scrolling.
  • Added support for Windows Media scripting (32-bit mode only).

Note: Microsoft officially terminated its own Windows Media Player for Mac years ago, and now simply provides a link to download the Flip4Mac Free Player. The plug-in supports more Windows Media formats than Microsoft’s own player ever did.

Flip4Mac WMV 2.4.1.4 requires Mac OS X version 10.5 (Leopard) or later as well as QuickTime 7.2.1 or later. The plug-in is Universal (Intel and PPC) and is 64-bit clean for Snow Leopard and Lion users.

Mozilla releases Firefox 9.0

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Mozilla FirefoxKeeping with its rapid release program, Mozilla has posted Firefox 9.0 of its popular web browser for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android platforms.

Key additions are:

  • Improved theme integration for Mac OS X Lion
  • Added two finger swipe navigation for Mac OS X Lion
  • Improved standards support for HTML5, MathML, and CSS3
  • Added Type Inference, significantly improving JavaScript performance
  • Added support for querying Do Not Track status via JavaScript
  • Added support for font-stretch
  • Improved support for text-overflow

UPDATE: Within 24 hours, version 9.0.1 was released to address “several stability and security issues”.

Apple patches Safari web browser

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Apple has posted Safari 5.1.2 – its web browser for Mac and Windows operating systems.

The update plugs various security holes, plus:

  • Improves stability
  • Addresses issues that could cause hangs and excessive memory usage
  • Addresses issues that could cause webpages to flash white
  • Allows PDFs to be displayed within web content

Apple Safari 5.1.2 requires Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 or Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and can be applied via Software Update.

Safari 5.0.4 for Windows requires Windows 7, Vista, or XP SP2; a minimum of 256 Mb of memory; and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor (using Top Sites and Cover Flow features require a compatible DirectX 9.0 video card with 64MB of video RAM).

Beginning of the end for Adobe Flash?

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This week Adobe announced that it was ending Flash development for mobile devices.

Although Adobe maintains it will still be developing Flash for traditional computers to provide enhancements “including advanced gaming and premium video”, this pretty much marks the beginning of the end.

Of course, unless you are a web or mobile developer, this means absolutely nothing to you – aside from the fact that eventually you will no longer need to download another plug-in. What you experience on the web (computer or mobile device) will just be delivered in a different format (a combination of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript) .. all of which will be handled by your internet browser.

If you are a web or mobile developer .. and you currently use Flash on your projects .. well .. you have some work to do. You’ll need to begin the conversion to HTML5 to handle what Flash did (videos, animations, forms, etc.)

Some resources that may help …

Lynda.com – (training for HTML5, and just about anything else)

Code Canyon – (great resource for code, scripts, and more)