Devs Confirm 100+ Fixes in OS X 10.5.7, Security Update 2009-002

Sources close to AppleInsider have revealed that Mac OS X 10.5.7 build 9J44 has fallen into the hands of Apple's developers, packing five new fixes, bringing the total number of code corrections to 104. The most significant change reported with the fresh build is said to be the addition of a fix for PDF font render.

Citing people familiar with the ongoing development of Mac OS X 10.5.7, the site reveals that four other new fixes bring the total number of documented code corrections to 104. The single issue still plaguing 10.5.7 test builds (incompatibility with the Safari 4 Beta) hasn't apparently been addressed yet.

The current form of Mac OS X 10.5.7 allegedly weighs in at 442MB, with a 730MB combo update also being worked on. The combo updater is to be installed on versions of Leopard prior to 10.5.6 adding security improvements released by Apple in the past. Mac OS X 10.5.7, code-named Juno, is expected to arrive sometime this month, according to the AppleInsider report.

The Mac-focused site also claims to have learned of ongoing development efforts being aimed at a certain Security Update 2009-002. Apple usually addresses multiple security issues with the release of every maintenance update to Mac OS X. The company rolls out the security side of the update separately, for those who don't wish to upgrade their version of Mac OS X.

However, Security Update 2009-002 is known to be in testing for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," not OS X 10.5 Leopard. In fact, AppleInsider says that a version for Leopard hasn't even been reported. Also noteworthy is that Apple doesn't disclose the holes discovered in OS X, but rather asks developers to test the software blindly; therefore, it is not known which Tiger components are being updated. It is believed that a networking vulnerability will be patched. The usual four different distributions are being evaluated - Tiger client (PPC), Tiger server (PPC), Tiger client (Intel), and Tiger server (Intel) – while the update will be recommended "for all users," as it "improves the security of Mac OS X," those familiar with the matter say.