In consultation with the campus technical community, IET has developed recommendations and support plans for Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and continues to examine Leopard’s compatibility with other applications commonly used on campus. Starting in December, IET officially began supporting Leopard and makes the following recommendations:

New Apple computers are currently being shipped with Leopard. Students, staff, faculty, and departments should be aware that according to Apple's licensing terms, downgrades to earlier versions of the operating system are not permitted. When determining whether to purchase a computer with Leopard, IET strongly recommends that you review the results of the compatibility testing to find out whether the software applications and online services you frequently use are compatible with Leopard.

IET sees no immediate need to upgrade to Leopard; however, if you’re running a version of Mac OS 10.3 or older, you are out of compliance with campus Cyber Safety Policy, and we recommend you review the campus hardware recommendations and replace or upgrade your system’s hardware and/or software as soon as possible. When determining whether to upgrade from Mac OS 10.3 or 10.4, students, staff, and faculty should check with their departmental technology support staff and take into consideration the system’s hardware configurations and any installed software, which may of may not be compatible with Leopard. Before upgrading, it is always a good idea to back up your system.

Students purchasing new Apple computers should check with their school, college, or department and review their courseware requirements to determine whether to purchase an Apple computer with Leopard.

When purchasing a computer for personal or university use, UC Davis faculty and Staff should check with their departmental technology support staff to determine whether to purchase an Apple computer with Leopard.

When purchasing new computers for departments, technology support staff should review the results of the software application and online service compatibility testing to determine whether Leopard will integrate into their existing infrastructure and work with frequently used services and software.

Please note that Mac 10.4 remains supported by IET and Apple, and an immediate migration to Leopard is not required to remain compliant with the campus cyber-safety security standards. For more information, contact the IT Express Computing Services Help Desk at 530-754-HELP (4357), or email ithelp@ucdavis.edu.