Apple tweaks Tiger OS

Apple Computer on Tuesday released a minor update to its Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system. The computer maker said on its Web site that version 10.4.2 "delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users." It also deals with a number of security problems. The update fixes two security holes in 10.4.1. It repairs a problem with the Dashboard feature--which has caused problems before--and addresses an issue that could allow "a specifically crafted TCP/IP packet to cause a denial of service." That issue was discovered by security researchers at Northwestern University, according to Apple's advisory.

The new software, which is available through Mac OS X's built-in software update feature, offers a number of fixes, including improvements for managing Dashboard widgets, improved compatibility with some Hewlett-Packard printers and enhancements to Airport wireless networking.

Alex Coby of ZDNet UK contributed to this report.