Apple Releases Leopard Update (10.5.3)

Being the guinea pig I am, I went ahead and installed it. There were a couple things I wanted to have stabilized and a new feature or two I was informed would be in this build that I desperately wanted, so I took the bait and updated. I always do, after all.

The major stability enhancements were to be with Time Machine & Time Capsule, Apple’s backup software, and the feature I wanted was also related to that: The ability to have the system backup automatically while on battery power.

See before, Time Machine would only initiate backups automatically while you were plugged in. That’s fine for desktop machines that are always plugged in, but a laptop user? I wrote in on Apple’s support forums that I thought they needed to make it so that Time Machine would back up even on battery Power, because it’s conceivable that a laptop user could have the right stuff, but their work habits preclude backups from ever happening.

For instance, let’s say that a user always uses their laptop unplugged away from a power source, and they only plug it in while they have it closed and off. Well, they unplug it, open it up, and Time Machine never runs. Then they close the lid, plug it back in, and of course Time Machine isn’t running. This user NEVER gets a backup.

A lot of people read that and want to scream “Just run it manually” or “Don’t turn it off when you plug it in,” but the problem is that’s not what Time Machine is about; it’s billed as the everyman’s backup solution; automatic backups that you don’t have to think about, the computer takes care of it. Well, if I have to change my habits to accommodate it, then it’s not very effective at its task, now is it? Sort of defeats its own purpose then, and I might as well just use some different backup utility if I am going to have to remember to do it and do it on its terms, eh?

Well I’m happy to say that now indeed, Time Machine will back up on battery power. They created an option in the Time Machine System Preferences Options Tab, that allows you to select whether or not you want to back up under battery power or not. I selected yes of course, and I would say that unless your hourly backups take 4 hours apiece, it’s wise for everyone to have it selected.

In fact, mine’s selected by default.

The only unfortunate thing about the new update? It doesn’t automatically seek out and destroy any windows boxes within a 5-mile radius. Guess I’ll have to pay for 3rd party software that does it. Damn.

Peace.


UPDATE:
Being a MacBook user, I had noticed that when video chatting with other MacBook Leopard users, there was a recurring, high-pitched echo that royally sucked. Well according to the release notes, that’s one of the specific issues that they tackled in this release: echoing in iChats on certain mobile Macintosh Computers.

So if that’s you, really, 10.5.3 is your baby.