Snow Leopard Smashes Atom

Mac OS X 10.6.2 includes general operating system fixes, font fixes, graphics fixes, mail fixes, MobileMe fixes, and Safari browser fixes.

One of the general operating system fixes deals with the problem of Macs deleting data when a user logs into a guest account. That data-eating bug was first reported shortly after Apple released Snow Leopard in August, and sparked considerable user outrage. Some users who, for various reasons, logged in as guests found their home directories had been replaced and all files had been deleted.

Some of the fixes seem to indicate that Apple is working hard to position the Mac as an enterprise computer. One of these deals with the creation of mobile accounts for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Active Directory users; another spotlights search results not showing Microsoft Exchange contacts; and a third, which is a mail fix, deals with email messages received from Microsoft Exchange servers not being formatted correctly.

Microsoft Active Directory is used in many corporate networks. It lets system administrators authenticate users and provide corporate directory services, assign policies, deploy software, and apply critical updates.

Other mail fixes include ensuring deleted RSS feeds do not return and resolving a problem that caused Address Book and Mail to stop responding when opened. Graphic fixes include general reliability and performance improvements when using some applications and functionality within specific display modes.

Snow Leopard's fixes for Apple's Safari browser remedy graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites and improve plug-in reliability.