Snow Leopard First Impressions
So I finally decided to backup one of my iMacs and proceed with a clean install of Snow Leopard (I’ve heavily used the box for Development and Testing, so it needed to be wiped). Here are some of my initial thoughts on the install process:
- I don’t like the fact that the “Erase and Install” and “Archive and Install” options are completely gone (not sure of this is only on the $29 upgrade disc or not).
- You are able to do a full install with the upgrade disc!!!
- You must select “Disk Utility” from the toolbar while booted from the disc and erase your HD for an erase and install
- Installation did not seem any faster as an upgrade or full install (yes, I did both, only by accident though!).
- First boot/registration/login, all the same as before
- Tinkering around the OS after first boot seemed really snappy (maybe just because it was a clean install all together).
- Everything else seems to be the same (for the most part)
I have run into a couple issues with applications so far:
- SynergyKM – has not been updated yet. The team has posted that they are working on it though.
- Opening the SynergyKM preference Pane in “System Preferences” forces a restart of SysPrefs every time
- The “Show Synergy status i the MenuBar” option does not work
- Outside of that, the overall functionality is intact!
- Logmein.com – only needs minor updates
- I experienced a funky issue with the Logmein MenuBar icon (seems to be ok after reboot)
The only other problems I’ve seen have to do with Directory Management (Specifically Open Directory)
- I personally dislike the removal of the Directory Utility from /Applications/Utilities/.
- I encountered a strange problem with mobile home accounts (not sure if this is a Snow Leopard issue, or 10.5 Server issue, but I didn’t have the problem prior to upgrading.
- After setting up an Admin account and binding to my OD server, I was unable to login to the machine with a valid OD user.
- The login box would attempt to connect, and then shake (checked with several different accounts that were all previously working in Leopard).
- I had to restrict network user logins to one account
- After a reboot, I was able to successfully login as the specific OD mobile user and change settings to allow any network user to login
- All seems well now, i was able to successfully login as other network users
- I also noticed a problem with granting an OD mobile user local admin rights
- after granting local admin rights I am unable to manage mobile home sync settings on the client machine.
- I’ve seen a few other people that speak of similar issues prior to Snow Leopard, but have not had contact with the, yet to confirm
All in all, the updates to the client version of the OS could have come as an update rather than a new OS version. Nothing significantly different that I’ve encountered yet. I look forward to everyone else’s opinions and comments!
-Phenix
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Don’t forget that if you need QuickTime 7 or Rosetta that you have to do a custom install to get them.
QuickTime 7 is installed in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder. According to a forum thread at the EyeTV Lounge (http://forums.elgato.com/viewtopic.php?f=128&t=5951) you don’t get all the same functionality from QuickTime X that you have QuickTime 7 with QuickTime Pro.
Not having ever used Rosetta I can’t really speak to the necessity of using it, but I have seen several applications that need to have Safari started in 32-bit mode in order to work properly.
andy