Safari 3.2.1 is it safe to install yet

Just because you had problems with a previous attempt doesn't mean there is something wrong with Safari 3.2.1; the problem could very well have been something on your system.

There is no software that doesn't have any bugs (well, there is one program, but it's not commonly used by consumers), waiting for that day before you install anything is an exercise in futility. If you do that, then you shouldn't have installed Mac OS X, as it does have known bugs.

No one will force you to upgrade Safari to 3.2.1; you can still use 3.1.2 if that's what you prefer. But you'd be wise to get yourself an external hard disk solely for keeping a bootable backup of your current system in case something goes wrong.

Mulder

Hi

Welcome to Apple Discussions

I tried installing 3.2 a few weeks ago and it was a disaster.

"Disasters" come in a variety of ways. Would you please describe what was not working. If you have a crash report (you can find it via the Console in your Utilities folder), post it here (related crashes add to the previous crash report, so copy/paste the very last part - look for the date as a starting point). Sometimes the report is helpful to determine what is going on. In the meantime, do not install Safari 3.2.1. No need to go down an old road.

An aside - I agree with Mulder about having an adequate external backup of the system. One thing I've learned - backups can be enormous time savers.

In my experience, the answer is "no" - it's not yet safe to reinstall Safari 3.2.1. It seems to make the whole system slow, and has my hard drive clicking like a swarm of crickets!

I've deleted it from my hard drive after getting 75 hangs in one two hour session, and am running Firefox while keeping an eye on these forums for a solution - so far, it seems the only people on here who have a 'solution' are the ones who've never had the problem...

Hi

I use Safari 3.2.1 on 3 machines with no slow-down on any of them. All machines are using OS X Leopard. In this forum you are going to get a steady diet of problem situations - that's what the boards are for. I'd say most users (there are millions out there) seem to use Safari without significant issues.

If Safari slows down your system and you hear hard drive clicking, the hard drive may have directory errors (Disk Warrior is a great product for this task) that ought to be corrected before they cascade into bigger problems.

One area impacting Safari 3.2.1 has been 3rd party add-ons (not supported by Apple) which in some instances proved incompatible with the latest version. Most developers upgraded their add-ons to remedy the problem. Some didn't - AcidSearch is one example.

Another has been the new Fraudulent Site check. Some have had to disable this feature because of complications between their Internet Provider and the Google site search mechanism. This ought to be remedied in the coming months.

Adobe Flash ought to be at version 10. Version 9 has proved buggy. Important on a Flash install to "repair permissions" prior to a Safari restart.

The system cache at times may require a reset (using a Utility app such as OnyX is great for clearing the system caches).

Also, Safari benefits from house cleaning via the "Reset Safari" option in the Safari Menu (e.g. web icon database ought to be reset every couple of months, cache ought to be emptied daily, and no sense in maintaining history files over 7 days).

Firefox is a stand alone browser. It does not interact with other Apple apps. Safari by contrast accesses the Address Book, iTunes, Mail etc. So the overall health of the system is paramount for Safari to function without issues.

greg --
Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Here's the Deal:
I've got it on 3 Macs.
No Problems.
But I have no extra internet apps.

I think most of the problems come from having 3rd party (non-apple)
internet haxies . . . like Acid Search, Safari Stand, Speed Download, and lots of
other little downloadable apps that claim to make your internet experience faster or better.
When ever you update Safari or the OS, you can expect lagging behind haxies to cause problems.

Do not be afraid . . .
It's all great stuff.
Any problems, post back 🙂

All you have to do is remember to repair permissions before (or at least after) any updates/upgrades.

Just as a footnote in case it hasn't already been mentioned: Safari 3.2.1 requires the install of security update 2008-007 - or 008. Both are combi updaters, so just get the latest one if you haven't already.

We don't like 3.2.1 it logs us out of sites's sessions all the time and forgets forms autofill info. too. See other threads. 4.0 beta is the same so far, so maybe it is to do with the Security Update rather than Safari itself.

Not sure who 'we' are, but neither has ever happened to me.

Same here, Safari 3.1.2 once in a while decides to trash (all) cookies. Pretty annoying.
There are multiple reports of it on the Dutch forum Gathering of Tweakers, e.g.:
"Safari forgets login data" http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1329070

Supposedly using Webclip on the Dashboard triggers the problem. However, I've not used Webclip ever, so there might be another reason.

And please, some people with high post counts, don't act too overconfident. Apple's software does have its bugs, like any other software. That doesn't mean I want to use the "other" software 🙂

Thanks for the tip.
My crash problem was resolved by removing Acid Search (3rd party) which I use because I prefer yahoo over google search.