By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 04:05 PM EST

Apple on Tuesday released Mac OS X 10.5.7, a recommended update for all Mac OS X 10.5.x Leopard users that includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of Macs. Separately, the company released Safari 3.2.3, an update to Safari 4.0 beta and security updates for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

Mac OS X 10.5.7

The Mac OS X 10.5.7 client software is available as a 442MB delta download for Macs running Mac OS X 10.5.6 and as a 729MB combo update for Macs running earlier versions of the Leopard operating system. A list of specific enhancements included in the release follows:

General

• Includes latest security fixes.
• Includes additional RAW image support for several third-party cameras
• Improves performance of video playback and cursor movements for recent Macs with NVIDIA graphics
• Resolves an issue with Dvorak keyboard layout in Mac OS X 10.5.6
• Improves the reliability and accuracy of Unit Converter, Stocks, Weather and Movies Dashboard widgets
• Addresses a situation that may cause issues when logging into Gmail
• Improves reliability when syncing contacts with Yahoo!
• Expansion Slot Utility for Mac Pro now reports the correct PCIe slot configuration
• Improves network performance when connected to certain Ethernet switches that have Flow Control enabled
• Improves stability for network home directories hosted by Mac OS X Server v10.4
• Improves Finder search results for network volumes that may not support Spotlight searching, such as Mac OS X Server v10.4, Time Capsule, and third-party AFP servers
• Includes several improvements to Directory Service and Client Management, which are described in the About Mac OS X Server 10.5.7 Update article

iCal

• Improves overall reliability with CalDav
• Improves reliability when automatically syncing with MobileMe

Mail

• Addresses reliability and sync issues with Notes
• Addresses an issue that may cause the BCC field to populate incorrectly when redirecting a message from the Sent mailbox

Parental Controls

• Improves consistency with Parental Controls and application restrictions
• Addresses an issue in which time limits may not work properly with full-screen games and Fast User Switching

Printing

• Resolves an issue that may cause certain third-party printers to print to the incorrect paper tray
• Non-admin user accounts can now be allowed to add and remove printers by enabling Parental Controls and selecting "Can administer printers"
• Includes other printing reliability and stability improvements

Mac OS X Server 10.5.7

Mac OS X Server 10.5.7 is available as a 452MB download for servers running 10.5.6 Server and a 951MB download for those running earlier versions of Leopard server. A specific list of enhancements is available here.

Safari 4.0 beta 1 (second update)

Readers will recall that Safari 4.0 beta 1 failed to function with betas of Mac OS X 10.5.7 while it was under development. Therefore Apple has quietly updated its Safari 4.0 public beta with a new version supporting -- as well as requiring -- Mac OS X 10.5.7.

The new beta also addresses 3 security issues with the Safari 4.0 beta 1, including vulnerabilities with the browser's URL input validation, a heap buffer overflow problem with libxml, and a memory corruption issue in WebKit's handling
of SVGList objects.

Safari 3.2.3

Separately, Apple on Tuesday also released Safari 3.2.3, which addresses security issues with the web browser. The update is available as a 40MB download for Mac OS X 10.5.x Leopard, a 26.29MB download for Mac OS X 10.4.x Tiger, and a 19.69 download for Windows XP and Vista.

Tiger Security Updates

For users running Mac OS X 10.4.X Tiger, Apple also released Security Update 2009-002. It's available as a 165MB download for Intel Macs, a 75MB download for PowerPC Macs, and a 203MB download for all Mac OS X Tiger servers.