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Wondering About Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard?

Apple Inc. hasn't released a major update to its Macintosh OS X operating system since Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" was released in April 2005. With the release of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" in October 2007, Apple is promising several cutting-edge features and applications. Leopard includes:

  • Stacks: A new Desktop feature that allows the user to de-clutter and make neat piles of objects in the Dock
  • Quick Look: A new Finder feature that allows the user to view a file's contents without opening it
  • Time Machine: A new application that automatically makes up-to-date backups of everything on the user's Mac, so it can be recovered later
  • Spaces: A new feature that allows the user to make separate spaces for different applications and projects
Should I Upgrade to Leopard?

Three simple questions will help the decision process:

  1. What applications run on Leopard? Many applications that worked under Tiger will continue to install and function under Leopard. Some, however, will require updates from their vendors (which may or may not be available yet), and some will simply not work.
  2. Which hardware supports Leopard?
    Apple recommends the following hardware requirements for computers to use Leopard :
    • Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor
    • 512MB of memory
    • DVD drive for installation
    • 9GB available space on hard drive
  3. Will the Office of Information Technology (OIT) support Leopard? OIT and the OIT Help Desk are ready to support Leopard.

Please use the information above to learn as much as possible about the Leopard Operating System before making the decision to upgrade.

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Office of Information Technology
Office of Information Technology Help Desk Web Site University of Maryland Web Site Office of Information Technology Web Site