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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Monday, November 03, 2003

Panther dogged by Firewire, security, and encryption problems
Barely a week old, Apple's latest OS, Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, has been beset by a bizarre range of bugs and security glitches that suggest the Cupertino company's quality control isn't up to snuff, especially when you consider the relatively tiny number of machine types Apple supports with this release. First, Panther was knocked down a notch by a FireWire bug that damages data on external FireWire 800 drives. Then, the fledgling OS was hit by security vulnerabilities that Apple quickly fixed (but originally tried to ignore fixing on previous OS X versions). Now comes word of a third major problem involving Panther's File Vault feature, which adds file encryption security to a user's home folder. Apparently, if you allow File Vault reclaim lost disk space, and reboot, it resets or destroys the data for Safari, Address Book, the Dock, Mail and the Keychain, and other applications. Good stuff! Kind of makes the early adopters waiting in line at Apple Stores for "Night of the Panther" look like morons, doesn't it? And yes, I include myself in that list. Or, as John Gruber writes, "It’s pretty impressive how many of you installed Panther within 24 hours of its release." Yeah, it really is.

[ Posted at 3:28 PM | Permalink ]