Mac OS X Leopard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Version of the macOS operating system
Screenshot of Mac OS X Leopard. The Dock and window designs have been updated from previous versions of Mac OS X.
Developer	Apple Inc.
OS family	Macintosh Unix
Source model	Closed, with open source components
General availability	October 26, 2007; 17 years ago (2007-10-26)
Latest release	10.5.8 (Build 9L31a) / August 13, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-08-13)
Repository	Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Update method	Apple Software Update
Platforms	IA-32, x86-64, PowerPC
Kernel type	Hybrid (XNU)
License	Commercial proprietary software with Apple Public Source License (APSL)
Preceded by	Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
Succeeded by	Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Tagline	Add a new Mac to your Mac.
Support status
Historical, unsupported as of about June 23, 2011, Safari support and iTunes support terminated as of 2012 as well.

Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5) was a big update for macOS. It was the sixth major version of Apple's computer operating system. Leopard came out on October 26, 2007. It replaced Mac OS X Tiger.

You could buy Leopard in two versions. There was a desktop version for personal computers. There was also a server version called Mac OS X Server. Leopard was later replaced by Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009. Leopard was the last macOS version to work on older PowerPC Macs. Newer versions only worked on Intel-based Macs.

Apple said Leopard had over 300 new things. These included changes to the system and apps. Leopard made the desktop look different. It had a new Dock and Stacks. The menu bar became see-through. The Finder also got a new look. It added Cover Flow, like in iTunes. Other cool features were Time Machine for backups. It also included Front Row and Photo Booth. These apps were only on some Macs before.

Apple had planned to release Leopard earlier. But they delayed it to focus on the iPhone.

What's New in Leopard?

A Fresh New Look (User Interface)

Mac OS X Leopard changed how the computer looked. The menu bar became more see-through. System icons looked more real. The Dock became shiny and 3D. Windows lost their old metallic look. Even the Apple icon turned black. Some people didn't like the transparent menu bar. Apple later made it less transparent. You could also turn off the transparency.

Cool New Features for You! (End-User Features)

Apple said Mac OS X Leopard had over 300 new features. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Automator: This tool helps you automate tasks. It makes it easy to create workflows. You can even record your actions and replay them.
• Back to My Mac: If you had a MobileMe account, you could use this. It let you access your home computer's files from anywhere.
• Boot Camp: This helper let you install other operating systems. You could put Windows XP or Windows Vista on your Intel Mac.
• Dashboard: This feature got better. You could turn parts of a webpage into a live widget. This was called Web Clip.
• New Desktop: The Dock was redesigned. It was 3D and had a new feature called Stacks. Stacks grouped files together. They could show files in a "fan," "grid," or "list" style.
• Dictionary: You could now search Wikipedia from the Dictionary app. It also included a dictionary for Apple terms.
• A redesigned Finder: The Finder got a new look. It was similar to iTunes 7. It included Cover Flow for browsing files.

The Finder, showing files in Cover Flow View and viewing a file using Quick Look

• Front Row: This app was updated. It looked a lot like the Apple TV interface.
• iCal: You could now share calendars. It also let you schedule group events. The icon showed the current date.
• iChat: This chat app got many updates. You could log in with multiple accounts. It had animated icons and tabbed chats. iChat Theater let you share photos, videos, or presentations. Backdrops let you change your video chat background. You could also share your screen.
• Mail: This email app added RSS feeds, Notes, and to-dos. To-dos worked across all your apps.
• Network file sharing: Sharing files over a network became easier. You had more control over who could see your files. You could also share individual folders.
• Parental controls: Parents could now set limits on internet use. They could also manage controls from another computer.
• Photo Booth: This app got video recording. It also had real-time filters and green/blue-screen effects.
• Preview: This app for viewing documents got new tools. You could add notes, extract parts, and adjust sizes.
• Quick Look: This was a cool new feature. It let you view documents without opening them. You could see a full-screen preview instantly.
• Safari 3: This web browser was updated. It included the Web Clip feature.
• Spaces: This feature let you have multiple desktops. You could put different apps on different desktops. For example, one for school and one for games. You could easily switch between them.
• Spotlight: This search tool got better. You could use special search words. You could also search other computers on your network.
• Time Machine: This was a big new feature. It automatically backed up your files. You could easily go back in time to find old versions of files. It was great for recovering deleted files.
• Universal Access: This feature helps people with disabilities. It improved VoiceOver and added better support for Braille. It also had a new, high-quality voice for reading text aloud.
• Leopard added support for the Russian language. This made a total of 18 languages.
• Leopard no longer supported Classic applications. These were older apps from Mac OS 9.

How Leopard Works (Developer Technologies)=

Leopard brought new tools for app developers.

• It supported 64-bit applications. This meant apps could use more memory.
• It included Objective-C 2.0. This programming language got new features.
• A new framework called Core Animation helped developers create smooth animations.
• Apple added DTrace from OpenSolaris. This helped developers check how apps were running.
• Developers could now use Python and Ruby with Cocoa apps.
• Leopard included a read-only version of the ZFS file system.
• Leopard was the first operating system with open source BSD code to be fully UNIX-certified. This meant it could run special UNIX software easily.

Keeping You Safe (Security Enhancements)=

Leopard added new security features to protect your computer.

• Library Randomization: This made it harder for bad software to attack your computer. It moved parts of programs around in memory.
• Application Layer Firewall: Leopard had a new firewall. It could decide which apps could connect to the internet. This gave you more control.
• Sandboxes: This feature helped stop apps from doing things they shouldn't. For example, it could stop an email app from changing your passwords.
• Application Signing: This helped make sure apps were real. It checked if code had been changed. This made updates safer.
• Secure Guest Account: You could give guests a special account. The system would erase their data when they logged out.

Some people criticized Leopard's security. They said the firewall could be weaker after installation. They also found some issues with the guest account.

What You Need to Run Leopard (System Requirements)=

To run Mac OS X Leopard, your computer needed to meet certain requirements:

• Processor: Any Intel processor, or a PowerPC G5 or G4 chip (867 MHz or faster).
• Optical drive: An internal or external DVD drive to install the system.
• Memory: At least 512 MB of RAM. More RAM (1 GB) was suggested for developers.
• Hard drive space: At least 9 GB of free space.

Leopard's retail disc worked on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. However, Macs that came with Leopard only had the Intel version on their discs.

Supported Computers

Mac OS X Leopard could run on many Apple computers. This included later flat-panel iMac G4s, iMac G5s, and all Intel iMacs. It also worked on PowerBook G4s, Power Mac G4s, Power Mac G5s, and all MacBooks. Older G4 Macs needed to have a processor upgrade to 867 MHz or faster. They also needed enough RAM and hard drive space. Leopard would not run on G3 Macs because they lacked AltiVec support.

How Leopard Looked (Packaging)=

Leopard's retail box was much smaller than previous versions. It had a special cover that made the "X" look like it was floating. This looked similar to Leopard's default desktop background.

Release History

Timeline of Macintosh Operating Systems

Timeline of Mac operating systems

Compatibility Issues

After Leopard came out, some people had problems. Their computers would freeze on a blue screen. This happened during startup. Apple said it was because of an old add-on. This add-on was called Application Enhancer (APE). It was not compatible with Leopard. Some users didn't even know they had it. Apple released a guide to fix this.

Later, Google announced that its Chrome browser would stop supporting Leopard. This started with Chrome 21. Firefox also stopped supporting Leopard after Firefox 16.

See also

In Spanish: Mac OS X Leopard para niños