By Graham K. Rogers

Apple has released an update to its OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion, operating system. This release has taken a lot longer than normal and a number of features have been updated. Also included in the download is an update to Safari, bringing it to version 6.0.3.

The information released with the update informs users that it has features and fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including:

• The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera
• Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8
• Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3 TB hard drive
• A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly
• A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins
• A fix for an issue that may cause audio to stutter on 2011 iMacs
• A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause cards to print out of order
• A fix for an issue that may cause the desktop picture to change after logging out or restarting
• A fix for an issue in Messages that may cause messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep
• A fix for an issue that may cause the screen to display incorrectly after waking from sleep
• Improves compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app
• Allows the Slideshow screen saver to display photos located in a subfolder
• A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause addresses to print in the wrong location
• Reliability improvements when using a Microsoft Exchange account in Mail Xsan reliability improvements
• A fix for an issue that could cause Active Directory accounts to be locked out after accessing the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences
• A fix for an issue that could cause link aggregation to not complete after a restart
• A fix for an issue that could cause delays when logging into an Active Directory account on high latency networks

Safari 6.0.3

• Improves scrolling on facebook.com
• Improves scrolling while zoomed in on a webpage
• Improves performance on webpages with plug-in content
• A fix for an issue that could cause the inaccurate appearance of an alert that bookmarks can't be changed
• A fix for an issue that could cause duplicate bookmarks to appear on an iOS device after editing bookmarks with Safari in OS X
• A fix for an issue that permitted users to access unfiltered search results when searching from google.com when Parental Controls are enabled
• A fix for an issue that could prevent Safari from restoring the last position on a webpage a user navigated back to

The update is shown on the Apple Downloads pages as some 540 MB (with a Combo download at 794 MB). A restart is required.

Also available are Security updates for Lion and Snow Leopard as well as Bootcamp Support Software (incorporated into 10.8.3).

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.