Apple has seeded developers with a new pre-release build of the next maintenance and security update to Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5.5. Build 9F32 packs minor fixes bringing the total number of code corrections to 129, but none of the fixes address the Mail.app bug, reported as "known" in previous beta releases of OS X 10.5.5.

"The latest version (build 9F32) provides more minor fixes but continues to have at least one known issue with Mail search," MacRumors reveals. "Apple has addressed approximately 129 bugs and issues since the previous public release of Mac OS X 10.5.4," the site claims to have learned.

The latest two distributions, weighing in at 320 MB each, contained no noticeable changes from the previous builds. Build 9F29 tacked on a pair of fixes, one of which resolves an issue between Macs and previously joined AirPort networks, AppleInsider pointed out earlier last month, citing people familiar with the situation. Only one issue had remained unsolved, a bug that was said to prevent emails from being searched properly in Apple's Mail application.

One of the earliest builds seeded to developers, build 9F17, fixed five issues. Resolved in previous seeds are problems with Control Elements and CoreUI, Spotlight and Time Capsule backups, as well as issues surrounding multiple TCP connections and Application Firewall. The problems occurring with Mail Sync and Preferences syncing, the Address Book Framework and Smart Groups, "set wake up times" and Power Management, and FileSync have also been resolved.

It isn't yet known when exactly Mac OS X 10.5.5 will become available for Leopard fans. However, you should at least wait until upcoming builds list "no known issues," so you can expect to receive the update. When the time comes, you will be able to install the new software either by downloading it through the Software Update mechanism on your Macs (Apple Menu → Software Update), or by downloading the installer package right here on Softpedia.