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Mac OS X 10.5.3 users grapple with bugs in Adobe CS3, graphics

Those early adopters of Apple's latest major patch for Mac OS X Leopard are finding bugs with Adobe's Creative Suite 3, as well as persisting graphics glitches for MacBook portables.

Visitors to support forums for both Adobe and Apple report an inability to properly save files from InDesign, Photoshop, and other CS3 programs to a location on a remote server when the file is open.

When users attempt a save command, the file on the server becomes unusable, even when copied and opened locally. The issue occurs regardless of the format and doesn't appear to occur for locally saved files, which can still be uploaded to the server afterwards.

The corrupted files appear to have a modified header that prevents them from being recognized properly, say some readers. However, some also report success in choosing "Save As" to register changes rather than the standard "Save" command.

Neither Adobe nor Apple has commented on the discovered glitch, although a number of users report that Adobe has often discouraged users from working directly with network files.

"There are far too many variables in the system for this way of working to be supported by Adobe," one user says.

Less fortunate, however, are MacBook and MacBook Pro owners, a number of whom note in Apple-hosted discussions that reported visual flaws in certain Mac OS X applications have carried over from version 10.5.2 of the operating system to 10.5.3.

Despite the sweeping nature of the fixes, portable users running the latest version say that redraw issues persist in key programs, particularly movie players or Apple's own iTunes app. The bugs often distort or block out entire window views as well as cause momentary blackouts in videos, all of which are visible in a video one user has submitted to AppleInsider.

Some users report solving the issue by reverting back to an earlier version of Mac OS X Leopard and installing 10.5.3 without applying the earlier Leopard Graphics Update, though its effectiveness is uncertain.

More distressing to those MacBook owners affected by the flaws, however, is Apple's seeming disaffection with the problem. While the drawing errors are serious enough to have been reported to Apple Engineering — "as high as it goes," according to one Apple forum member — technicians at the Mac maker are largely unaware of any widespread issues and must go through costly hardware troubleshooting before referring the problem to engineers. In at least one case, a programmer made Apple aware of the problem shortly before the 10.5.3 release without success.

"As an Apple Developer, I've been posting that 10.5.3 has NOT corrected the problem," he says. "I knew this two days ago, and I notified Apple."