Unlike previous versions of Mac OS X, the goals of Snow Leopard were improved performance, greater efficiency and the reduction of its overall memory footprint. Apple famously marketed Snow Leopard as having "zero new features".[11] Its name signified its goal to be a refinement of the previous OS X version, Leopard.[12] Much of the software in Mac OS X was extensively rewritten for this release in order to take full advantage of modern Macintosh hardware and software technologies (64-bit, Cocoa, etc.). New programming frameworks, such as OpenCL, were created, allowing software developers to use graphics cards in their applications. It was also the first Mac OS release since System 7.1.1 to not support Macs using PowerPC processors, as Apple dropped support for them and focused on Intel-based products.[2] As support for Rosetta was dropped in Mac OS X Lion, Snow Leopard is the last version of Mac OS X that is able to run PowerPC-only applications.
Snow Leopard was succeeded by OS X Lion (version 10.7) on July 20, 2011.[13] For several years, Apple continued to sell Snow Leopard at its online store for the benefit of users that required Snow Leopard in order to upgrade to later versions of OS X. Snow Leopard was the last version of Mac OS X to be distributed primarily through optical disc, as all further releases were mainly distributed through the Mac App Store introduced in the Snow Leopard 10.6.6 update.[14]
Software Update For Mac Os X 10.6.8
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is intended to be a release aimed to refine the existing feature set, expand the technological capabilities of the operating system, and improve application efficiency. Many of the changes involve how the system works in the background and are not intended to be seen by the user. For example, the Finder application was completely rewritten in the Cocoa application programming interface. Despite significant changes in the software, users will experience almost no changes in the user interface. Snow Leopard includes the following changes:
New solid colors can be used as wallpapers as well. There is a new blue and gray, as well as a solid kelp which serves as the "green wallpaper." The default "space nebula" wallpaper has been updated as well.
Stuart Harris, software product marketing manager at Apple Australia, said, "For the most part, everything that they experience on the Mac, from the 64-bit point of view, the applications, the operating system, is all going to be 64-bit, but that at this stage there were very few things, such as device drivers, that required 64-bit mode at the kernel level".[43]
CUPS (the printing system used in many Unix-like operating systems) has been updated to version 1.4 which provides improved driver, networking, and Kerberos support along with performance improvements. CUPS 1.4 is also the first implementation of the Internet Printing Protocol version 2.1.[53]
Apple strengthened Mac OS X by implementing stack protection, and sandboxing more Mac OS X components such as the H.264 decoder in QuickTime and browser plug-ins as a separate process in Safari.[57] Secure virtual memory was an option in earlier releases on Snow Leopard, but the checkbox to disable it was removed later. An anti-malware feature was also added to the system that alerts the user if malware is detected.[58] Mac OS X 10.6.8 added regular malware definition updates.[59]
Snow Leopard breaks compatibility with several older versions of some applications, such as Parallels Desktop 3.0, versions of Aperture before 2.1.1, and versions of Keynote before 2.0.2, among other software.[63] Apple has also published a list of applications with known compatibility issues with Snow Leopard.[64]
On October 21, 2009, SFGate blogger Yobie Benjamin wrote that the "MacBook Pro that came preloaded with Snow Leopard kicks butt and is a screaming fast machine", but "when I tried to upgrade one of my 'older' MacBooks, it was a fricking disaster from hell". Apart from upgrading, Benjamin also tried a clean install. But he complained of slowness even after his clean install. He wrote, "I ended up downgrading back to OSX 10.5.8" then he concluded by writing, "I might try to do it again but it won't be till Apple releases at least 2 major fix updates. If you want to roll the dice and try, go ahead... your upgrade might work, however, random installs not working is not good for me. Lesson learned --- I'll wait."[75]
Testmac.com highlighted other unexpected improvements including the release of a new version of Boot Camp, version 3.0, a cleaner, popup software update process and screen and video recording in the new QuickTime Player.[77]
I want to update from Mac OS X 10.6.8 to the newest version which is macOS Sierra. My Mac should be able to run this version of macOS. If I try to download the update on the App Store it fails because I need Mac OS X 10.7 at least.
The 10.6.8 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac
I have an iMac12,2 with Mac OS X 10.6.8. I want to upgrade to the newest possible Mac OS. If I click the Software update button it says "Software Update doesn't have any new software for your computer at this time.". If I want to download High Sierra from the App Store it says "This update requires macOS version 10.8 or later."
Then purchase the Snow Leopard install DVD from the Apple Store. If your Mac does not have an optical drive, the DVD has instructions on doing a remote install from another Mac on the same network. After installing, do Software Update (under the Apple Menu) to bring Snow Leopard up to OS 10.6.8.
Installed full 8GB RAM, a new display, fan, speakers, battery, and trackpad. Logic board, keyboard, and optical drive still perfectly functional. She wants to pass it on to one of the grandchildren, but OS X 10.6.8 is simply not going to cut it for their needs.
All updates were already in place, so i typed in the link above to the el capitan download (her machine canʻt open iFixit as the OS canʻt support an adequately secure connection, so i typed in the URL manually);
@the_kat Yes, that does look right, I would recommend doing that over just upgrading because you plan do upgrade the HDD to an SSD in the future. But if you still want to try updating, it sounds like there's no iCloud account actually logged into the machine, or the login token on the machine has expired, and it can't verify the iCloud account to download the update. A simple solution to that would be to log the account out and log back into the machine with the same account.
Hi @visionarily ! Yes, my partner doesnʻt have an iCloud account yet, so iʻll try to convince her to do that. In the meantime iʻll do the El Capitan bootable USB drive, and try to get things rolling from that side. thank you again for your quick and helpful response. i probably canʻt get back to this for a few days, but i will update you on what happens!!!
Apple also released the 10.6.8 update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server. Among other things, it fixes issues displaying videos in Wiki pages for Firefox and Internet Explorer, improves the reliability of sharepoints with Time Machine, address the reliability of vacation email notices, improves international character handling and authentication support for iCal Server, properly enables earlier updates in Software Update Server, and improves reliablity for cascading Software Update Servers. For a full list of fixes, follow the link above. Both a 542 MB incremental update and a 1.27GB combo updater are available directly from Apple.
Quote:Originally Posted by Squuiid "System audio that stops working when using HDMI or optical audio out"Where is the LION fix for this?! In an update to Lion. Which we will probably see in a day or two at most.
I'd sincerely hope Apple will continue to upgrade Snow Leopard with bug fixes and updated peripherial hardware support like print drivers, etc.The user base has now certainly grown to a point where not everyone can simply upgrade to a new major release. First of all, some older hardware may be too slow or not have enough capacity to run Lion, but may still be sufficient for real world use. Second, especially with an upgrade that technically cannot run everything that worked before (e.g. the no-longer-existing services in Server or the missing Rosetta support), some people will have to stick. I'll leave one of my four Macs on Snow Leopard, because it runs a German accounting software that, until it's 2009 version, only ran in Rosetta emulation because of it's older Filemaker base. It won't be upgraded, but I need to keep those years around to look up records or if an audit comes up, so unless I find a legal and working way to run a VM with Snow, I'll not touch the OS install on that box. Many people will have similar reasons not to upgrade, especially when using pro-grade graphics, design, music and other tools. App upgrades of that magnitude don't happen quickly and they can be quite costly. Surely Apple has a more-ready-to-upgrade userbase, but if you look around and see how many XP or even NT4 boxes are still around, you get the idea.So supporting a "previous" release of an OS, at least with critical bug fixes and security update, including a formal commitment on how long this will be done (i.e. 5 years after it stopped shipping or so) is one of the steps a software company has to take to be taken seriously.Let's see - I hope AI is not right with it's "the last update" prediction this time - it would't really look nice for Apple.F.
Quote:Originally Posted by florianvk I'd sincerely hope Apple will continue to upgrade Snow Leopard with bug fixes and updated peripherial hardware support like print drivers, etc. ... I hope AI is not right with it's "the last update" prediction this time - it would't really look nice for Apple.Almost certainly, the unusual step of releasing an update with the same version number as the last one was done primarily so that they would still have 10.6.9 left for other fixes. I would say the versioning numbers suggest that this is the *second* last update for 10.6, which sounds about right given that there is rarely more than one or two updates after the new full number version comes out. 2ff7e9595c
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