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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 27-Oct-08

  • iPhoto 7.1.5 from Apple is a minor update that “improves the printing quality of books, cards and calendars ordered via the iPhoto printing service.” It’s available via Software Update or as a standalone download. (Free update, 9 MB)
  • BBEdit 9.0.2 from Bare Bones Software is a maintenance update to the recently released text editor, adding a slew of minor bug fixes as well as a few small feature enhancements. The full, and lengthy, list of repairs is worth looking through to see if any issues you’ve encountered have been resolved, though the fixes are extremely specific. The two primary additions are a language selector in the Scratchpad to enable proper syntax coloring and refined capabilities for the Use Selection for Find command. ($125 new, free update, 15.4 MB)
  • Lightroom 2.1 from Adobe is the latest update to the popular photo management software, adding improved Photoshop integration, enhanced performance under Leopard, keyword migration capabilities, compatibility with several raw file formats (see the update for Adobe Camera Raw 5.1, below), and several bug fixes. ($299 new, free update, 33.9 MB)
  • Adobe Camera Raw 5.1 updates the Photoshop plug-in with raw file support for 15 new digital cameras including the Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Canon EOS 50D and the Canon EOS 1000D. Adobe has also released a new set of Digital Negative (DNG) camera profiles, available on Adobe Labs, that offer improved raw processing and color-rendering emulation. Additionally, Adobe recently released Camera Raw 4.6 with the same raw file support for Photoshop CS3 users. (Free update, 8.4 MB for
    ACR 5.1; 14.9 MB for ACR 4.6)
  • DiscLabel 5.3 from SmileOnMyMac is the latest version of the CD and DVD label design software. Changes include added support for Aperture imports, Blu-ray disc packaging design elements, the capability to select from multiple iPhoto libraries when importing, and various unspecified bug fixes. ($35.95 new, free update, 12.7 MB)
  • Cocktail 4.2 (Leopard Edition) from Maintain is a significant update to the general purpose maintenance utility. New to this version is the capability to search and delete corrupted preference files, a searchable database of Mac OS system error codes, a list of commonly used network ports, an enhanced procedure for clearing log files, a handful of interface updates, and fixes for various unspecified bugs. ($14.95, 1.8 MB)
  • AirPort Extreme Update 2008-004 from Apple “resolves some issues with AirPort connections when roaming in large Wi-Fi networks.” It’s only for Intel-based Macs, and currently appears only via Software Update. Apple released AirPort Extreme Update 2008-003 early last week but pulled it soon after, so this version presumably corrects a problem introduced in that phantom update. An Apple support article also describes it as the solution to a problem with being unable to turn AirPort on after turning it off and restarting. (Free, 2.2 MB)
  • Aperture 2.1.2 from Apple is a minor update to the photo management software that enhances the print quality of books ordered through the Aperture printing service. The update is available via Software Update or as a standalone download and cannot be used for Aperture trial software; you must own the full version of Aperture 2 to update. ($199 new, free update, 48 MB)
  • InDesign CS3 5.0.4 Update from Adobe addresses compatibility issues in the page layout program with the recently released Creative Suite 4. According to Adobe’s Web site, the InDesign CS3 5.0.4 Update contains fixes regarding “CS4 to CS3 Export to INX (Save Back) workflows… File Size, Hyphenation, Performance, Anchored Objects, Character Alignment, Step and Repeat, Indexing and Table of Contents, Text and Fonts, Dictionaries, Color, Scripting, Import/Export Graphics, InDesign Interchange files (INX), XML, Library files, Printing, and others.” The installer also includes the fixes from all previous InDesign CS3 5.0.x updates – which are no longer separately
    available. A list of issues that have been resolved with the update can be downloaded from Adobe’s site as a PDF. (Free, 71.7 MB)
  • InCopy 5.0.4 Update includes fixes for Adobe’s little-known word processor regarding “Notes, Tagging, Character Alignment, Undo and Redo, Text and Fonts, Dictionaries, Import/Export Graphics, and others,” to quote again from Adobe’s Web site. Like the InDesign update, the installer also includes the fixes from all previous InCopy CS3 5.0.x updates. You can download a list of issues that have been resolved with this update from Adobe’s Web site as a PDF. (Free, 69.9 MB)
  • Suitcase Fusion 2.0 from Extensis is a major update to the popular font management utility. With a redesigned user interface and new back end based on Universal Type Server architecture, Suitcase Fusion 2.0 offers improved performance and stability. Changes include Leopard-compatible auto-activation plug-ins for Illustrator CS4, InDesign CS4, and QuarkXPress 8; a character palette with Glyph Preview capabilities; plug-in-based font matching features; multiple font preview capabilities for comparing type faces; a new core application that runs in the background to offer uninterrupted font management when Suitcase is not active; font organization tools such as
    auto-classification and Smart Sets; a font search engine, and more. Suitcase Fusion 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. ($99.95 new, $49.98 upgrade, 31.3 MB)

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