"About Mail Update 1.0
This update addresses stability issues with Mail.
After updating to Mac OS X 10.5.6, Mail may unexpectedly quit. This can be caused by using a copy of Mail that wasn't updated properly (you may need to install the Mail Update).
For more info, please visit this article"
("Mac OS X 10.5.6: Mail unexpectedly quits", updated again today.-Mike)

I downloaded the updater and saved to it an external drive, but since I've not had any Mail/10.5.6 problems (Mail version shows "3.5 (930.3)" - I used a Combo Updater D/L) I've not applied it. (I guess this relates back to the problem where sometimes Software Update didn't completely download - Apple had a recent doc on that also - OS X 10.5: Software Update stops responding during "Configuring installation" that said "This can occur if Software Update attempts to install an update that was only partially downloaded".)

" MobileMe Fixes
I notice that one of the fixes in MobileMe announced today (MobileMe: Service Updates as of December 22, 2008) is that AddressBook can now import vCards with multi-line addresses or notes. This was a major, major headache for me when trying to "switch" my Dad to the Mac. Importing his Outlook addresses would not work because he had multi-line addresses and notes. Even importing them from a .csv after exporting them from Outlook would not work. AddressBook saw the line breaks as illegal characters. It would try to create new contacts for each additional line, but then choke altogether during the import leaving you with nothing at all. The solution was to edit the .csv file in excel by hand and fix every such address to be one continuous string, then break them back up once they were imported into AddressBook.
And the whole time I was blaming it on Microsoft for exporting data with illegal characters...

I'll be converting my Dad's wife's contacts this week when I switch her to a MacBook Pro from her PC, so I'll let you know if this bug is truly fixed or not.
-Mike K."

Update - here's his later mail from Jan 5, 2009:

" So, to update you on my earlier emails, the recent MobileMe update didn't quite fix the problem with importing into Mac Address Book. It did fix the importing vCards problem mostly, as I was able to import any vCard that Outlook or Windows Address Book could spit out, no matter how messy.
But now I can no longer import .csv files at all, as Mac Address Book claims to not recognize the file as such, even when exported from excel as .csv, while these same exact files worked before the update.
Either way, importing via vCards is much easier anyway, and I suppose the broken .csv support is one way to avoid the multi-line address/note issue...
-Mike K."

"1) you have the $29 Apple (single link) Displayport to DVI adapter correct? (not sure the $99 dual link adapter was shipping when you sent your first notes on Nov. 14th)
- Yes, I have the $29 single link Displayport to DVI adapter.

2) With your working setup - is the ADC display running at the native 1920x1200 resolution? (single link DVI can support that res, but I had a debate with someone on that - the 30in Cinema won't run at 1920x1200 with a single-link adapter, but wanted to confirm your single link adapter/23in Cinema ran at native 1920x1200 res.)
- Yes. Both Leopard and in Windows XP (via Boot Camp partition) accept 1920 x 1200.

3) Have you noticed any "jerky" mouse movement when using the Displayport to DVI adapter? (some DVI cinema display owners have complained about that at least with the dual-link adapter)
- No jerky mouse problems (knock wood).
Best and Merry Christmas!
-Byron"

"Found this tonight. (Apple forum thread) "10.5.6: (macbook) Optical drive making random noises". I have NOT tried the fix jhatton1980 suggests... (see bottom of page) Yet.
-Jamie"

Here's a copy of his earlier mail (Dec. 16th) on the problem (as if something was polling/accessing the drive w/o a disc inserted) which has a link to a thread from 2007 at apple's forums on the same problem.

"Oddity since updating my MacBook Pro (Last gen 17in 2.6GHz) to 10.5.6. My internal optical drive makes the open/close noise like when you're rebooting every 5 minutes or so since the update. Whirr-click click. (Like some process/task accessing the optical drive? I wonder if activity monitor or the Console log would show anything related.-Mike)
Interestingly enough I kept track of it for about 15 minutes

• 9:14:05
• 9:16:35
• 9:19:09
• 9:24:17
• 9:29:22
• 9:31:53

Totally random unless I missed some.
The new MacBook Pro 15in I had installed the dev betas on does / did not do this. Strange to say the least. (I asked if he had tried any of the usual voodoo tips - (resets, cache clearing, reinstall from d/l updater, etc.)
Have rebooted, but not done any voodoo other than that.
(he later wrote)
SMC reset did not fix it FWIW. Still clicking away...
Found this post on the same topic, but well before 10.5.6. Too strange IMHO to have happened only after this update though. See "Empty drive, repeated eject noise" (archived apple forum thread from Sept. 2007)
-Jamie"

BTW - I had a Mac Pro (2006) owner write he's seen this before 10.5.6 with his Samsung SH-S202N and SH-S223F drives, but not with his Pioneer or Sony drives.

"I received the following information from Sonnet regarding the differences between their SATA ll ExpressCard/34 (Sil3132 chip based) and their new Tempo SATA PRO ExpressCard/34 (for use with a LaCie 4big Quadra with 6TB and my new MacBook Pro 2.8GHz with 4GB memory):

"...It depends on what you are planning to do with the drive[s]. If it's just basic storage, the Express/34 card will work fine. If you are shooting for high end audio and video, the Pro is a better bet. It's definitely faster. We quote up to 200MB/s with the Pro and up to 133Mb/s with the "normal" card.
The Pro uses a Marvell chipset (no one else uses it yet) and the normal card uses a Silicon Image 3132 chipset which everyone uses. (most do, although not all. And some readers have reported on Jmicron chip based cards w/native support.-Ed) We've discovered some bugs with Silicon Image's drivers and have worked around them but SI isn't planning to even look at these bugs until February which is not the answer we were looking for. I suspect this is one of the reasons we started working with Marvell on the Pro product."

I plan to purchase the Pro version of the card and will update you with my findings.
-Jeffrey"

• NTFS-3G 1.5130 Update 2 (Read-write NTFS filesystem driver)
• Google Earth Plug-in 4.3.11528.8566
• MobileMe: Service Updates as of December 22, 2008 (Apple)
• Dial Zero v1.7 (free iPhone/Touch app)
• AstroTilt v1.4 (iPhone/Touch game)
• How to create custom ringtones in GarageBand 4.1.1 (Apple)
• Apple Quick Tip: Bookmark Multiple Tabs
• A Better Finder Rename 8.0.7 (bugfix)
• Video: iPhone 3G SIM Unlock
• Ambrosia's 15th Anniversary Holiday Games Bundle ($19 - ends midnight Dec 24th)
• The (Apple) fanboys strike back (Cringely)
• Apple confirms Leopard software update hangs, suggests workaround (use d/l updaters, not SU)
• EA Delivers Spore De-Authorization Tool (for PCs), Keeps Activation Limit (Mac tool not available yet - the download page says "Mac users will need to check back at a later date")
• Breathalyzer + FM Transmitter for your iPod/iPhone
• Lenovo Readies Laptop With 2 LCD Screens
• Wii and Nintendo DS Set Historic New U.S. Sales Records
• PC vs Xbox 360 vs PS3 graphics comparison
• NVIDIA.com providing (Windows) Notebook Graphics Drivers (see Products Supported tab on d/l page for brands not supported such as Sony Vaios, Lenovo Thinkpads, Dell Vostro and some Hybrid SLI models.)
• Copy of RIAA's new enforcement notice to ISPs
• The Top Gadgets of 2008 (wired)
• After a bad 2008, AMD tries to reinvent itself
• The Vista follies: Windows' tortured 2008