Apple's Leopard OS leaks online

A copy of it is already showing up on file-sharing networks

By Macworld staff

August 14, 2006 12:00 PM ET

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Macworld UK - In a traditional pattern for Apple, copies of the preview build of Mac OS X 10.5, code-named "Leopard," have begun to leak out onto the internet.

A build of the operating system is now circulating on file-sharing networks, including BitTorrent. The software -- which claims to be a copy of the beta operating system distributed to developers at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) -- began to emerge over the weekend.

Apple offered a 10-point public peek at Mac OS X 10.5 at WWDC, and copies of the software were given to attendees at the show so they could begin tweaking their offerings for the new operating system.

The company is likely to take a dim view at the leaks. A similar incident last year saw Mac OS X 10.4 released without authority online. Apple tracked down and sued the developers responsible for the leak.

Developers attending WWDC have signed strict and enforceable legal agreements not to distribute Leopard through file-sharing networks.

Early reports from people who purportedly used the software claim that certain parts of it "feel" incomplete. Apple last week told the public that it intended keeping some features secret as Mac OS X heads for its showdown with Microsoft's new Vista operating system early next year.

Meanwhile, a Windows-focused Web site last week described some additional features that will debut with the new operating system.

Reprinted with permission from

For more Macintosh news from the U.K., please visit Macworld.co.uk.

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