Leopard Coverage: Pitfalls to Consider
Finally, after two years of waiting, Apple’s next cat is loose amongst us eager fanboys. While the upgrade path has been smooth-sailing for most, it hasn’t been all sweet for others.
Instead of just writing yet another review, which every single Apple blog out there seems to be doing, MacApper has decided to compile a list of potential pitfalls and problems echoing around the blogosphere. Here we go.
1. Older Computers
How old a computer can you use with Leopard? Turns out, you can even use an 8-year-old machine, at least according to Engadget. There were a lot of graphics issues, which led them to recommend a G4 running Leopard as a “kid’s computer”.
If you’re running a machine of that age, we really suggest upgrading. The experience on an Intel or even a late model G5 processor will be so much better. However, if you still have your sights set on that trusty G4 of yours, then we really can’t stop you. Let us know how it goes!
2. Disk Space and Memory Usage
Reports are coming in saying that Leopard requires slightly more system memory compared to Tiger, but it really isn’t an issue for those who have more than 1GB RAM. For the best performance, we suggest upgrading to 2GB of memory. Not only will it help with multitasking, but it will provide a much richer and seamless experience.
In terms of disk space, Apple recommends 9GB. If you’re upgrading from Tiger, only 3.3GB of extra space is needed (although this value differs depending on what you choose to install). Like our recommendation with the G4 machine above, more is always better. Get as much disk space as you can, and an external drive too. Which brings me to…
3. Time Machine
This is one of the biggest features that everyone’s looking forward to. Based on the new Core Animation framework, it has one of the most unique user interfaces ever seen in a program. Unfortunately, it will only back up to an external hard drive (Apple previously mentioned Airport Disks), although a workaround is being developed.
Time Machine will take some time to create a backup (if you have a ton of data), so let it run overnight. Don’t use it too much while it’s building backups because that will slow down the process. If the backup fails, right click on the icon and select “Backup Now”.
4. Docks/Stacks
There’s really only one word to describe the new dock. Ugly. If you prop it up on one side, the confusing 3D shadows disappear, and a simpler dock appears. Unfortunately, if you pop the dock onto one side, stacks don’t work as well. You no longer get the fan view; instead you’re simply stuck with grid view. For those longing for a simpler dock, open terminal and type:
defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES
killall dock
5. Classic Programs
Don’t cry now, but they’re all gone. That’s right, according to Apple, Leopard will not support Classic apps. For the young ones among us, the Classic environment refers to Mac OS 9, the predecessor to OS X. The solution? Cherish the last moments, and then find a Leopard-compatible version.
Sorry for being so harsh.
6. iChat Effects
Apple seems to be going back on their words again. First it was Time Machine, then iPhone Notes, and now iChat. The cool blue Star Wars style, seen here at WWDC this year is noticeably absent. Will they reappear in a later software update? Let’s hope so.
iChat also seems to be using a lot of CPU power (in excess of 80%) when rendering these effects. The upside is that all the other new features like screen sharing and ichat theatre, plus its overall usability actually make it a comparable option to Adium.
7. Mail
Depending on the size of your mailbox, Mail.app can take several minutes to build its database. However, once it’s done, Mail should run much faster than before. The new stationary looks great, but all my mails are sent in plain text anyway.
One of the touted features in Mail.app, which is the recognization of important dates and addresses, doesn’t seem to work so well. Mail can misinterpret this information, especially once the email has been forwarded and replied to. This really defeats the purpose of having smart data recognition. Just a thought.
If you’ve encountered any other problems, or if you know of a solution, why not leave a comment? We’ll be sure to give you a plug!
The only thing I’ve found that’s been a bit irritating is the seemingly random use of the fans (using a MacBook Pro). Sometimes they’re sat at 5000rpm, sometimes around 1900 – with only Safari, Mail, Adium, Textmate and Terminal open. Don’t know whether there’ll be a fix or not, but it is annoying
@Jasper: Sounds like some application is consuming a lot of CPU power. It happens sometimes in Tiger too, especially when you’re browsing a lot of Flash in Safari or Firefox.
[...] was released yesterday, with a few minor flaws which we reported earlier. However, on a day in which Apple has successfully managed to roll out a huge OS upgrade with so [...]
Jasper, I use SMC fan control which allows me to set default fan speeds but if heat increases is also overridden by the thermal fan control Apple uses.
How are you finding getting used to the new translucent menu bar?
thanks for the many insights.
I’m holding off with my leopard upgrade but it sure looks great and timemachine seems to be a really cool backup solution.
does anyone know if resolution independence is in there too? there is no reference on the 300 features list
I am very disappointed about no WiFi Time Machine (with AirPort) and not having notes sync with iPhone. Honestly, I’ll be kinda pissed if the iPhone notes aren’t added in the first update. And having Time Machine on a laptop seems a little pointless if I have to go plug in every time I want to use it; besides, WiFI backup isn’t very slow if you’re using 802.11n
As far as the features that are currently included in 10.5, I’m going to wait until I have used it a few weeks before I decide anything.
@James C, on the Time Machine issue, i think it was removed as it was causing issues. Many of the earlier Leopard builds had major issues, and Time Machine was one of the things causing issues (from what’s been on the interwebs). So maybe it was going to take Apple too long to sort out the problems? I can see it being problematic due to 3rd Party Routers, and if 3 Mac’s, or more, are simultaneously trying to back up to one Airport Express, that’s a lot of data. Hopefully, however, Apple will sort it out soon!!
Like pedro, I am interested in resolution independence. Any word on whether it is in or out?
@Marvin Sum – viewing all CPU usage for all processes, I’m using 4% CPU so there’s no call for the fans to be active.
@link – I briefly used SMC today, but my default fan speed was set to the lowest possible setting and it was still doing about 6k rpm.
I’m going to monitor it for a while to see what happens. Don’t know if it might be a coincidence, but there’s a thread on Macrumors where people are talking about their fans behaving erratically, so I’m tempted to think it’s not.
Thanks for your suggestions guys
I have noticed that if Leopard goes to sleep, the USB Hubs will not reinitialize and I get the beachball, having to coldboot. Also, Repairing Permission seems to take 4X as long. Other than that, it seems to run very smoothly on my G5 PPC. I installed it on an internal partition as a new install, taking me only 40 mins to install. Here are my specs:
G5 April 2004
6.5 Gb Ram
ATI XT 800 XT
DP PPC 2.3 Mhz
Also, Syncing will load everything from my .Mac account except bookmarks from Safari….weird.
Hope this helps…
Time Machine does not require an external disk, FYI. I have 2 500gb SATA drives in my G5, and Time Machine is happily using the second internal disk.
Also tested with 2 x 250gb disks on a dual 1.25ghz G4 with 1gb of RAM. Leopard runs fine. So does Time Machine.
Web Clips can’t be saved or shared. Unless you know different!
@Jasper: Sounds like a bug to me then. Hmm…
@Steve M. and Pedro: It seems like resolution independence was not included. I’m double checking this right now, but there have been multiple posts on some of the developers’ forums confirming this.
@simty and Bob: Thanks for the tips!
[...] Leopard (OS X 10.5) on two of our household’s computers, I’m satisfied that there are no major glitches to watch out for, as long as you install it [...]
So far, Leopard has been great, except my NES emulator (NEStopia) no longer functions properly.
Going to try a reinstall…