There’ll always be bugs, you can count of that.

Per CNET, a number of Snow Leopard users have been complaining of blurry and pixelated icons showing up in the Finder. A thread on the Apple Discussion Board outlines this issue, where instead of the large and crisp icons that are so prominent in OS X, the system shows grainy and low-resolution versions of them, regardless of the icon size being used.

Mac OS X icon files are actually comprised of several files in one, each which represents a different version of the icon from low resolution to high resolution. This is so the system will not always load the high-resolution versions if the icon size does not call for it.

Potential fixes for this issue include the following:
An application called BlueHarvest allows users to repair the DS_Store files that might be causing this issue. The program can be located and downloaded here.

Remove system and user caches:
Additionally, you can try using a system maintenance tool to remove all user and system caches. This can be done with a utility like OnyX, and I would recommend tackling the following system caches:
dyld’s shared cache

All “System” cleaning routines

All “User” cleaning routines

After removing the caches, restart the computer.

Additionally, removing the Finder’s preference file may also help, since icon rendering is a function of the Finder. The preference file is called “com.apple.Finder.plist” and is located in the /username/Library/Preferences/ folder. Move this to the Desktop and restart the computer (or logout and log back in) and hopefully the Finder will load the icons properly again. Keep in mind that doing this will remove a few customizations of the the Finder, including sidebar additions and recent items, but that should be easy to set up again.

If you’ve seen this issue on your end, let us know.

A number of users have received error code 414 when attempting to download multiple iPhone applications, the end result being failed attempts altogether. Per CNET, the error seems to particularly affect users with more than a few downloads to complete. Most users in this Apple Discussions Forum thread report needing to update upwards of 20 Apps.

Many are calling this a bug in the iTunes Store system related to the “mature content” warnings Apple uses on Apps with a 17+ rating. Over on the Apple Discussions Board, user “ecasadei” described the situation as follows:

“I’m getting the same error. I have 97 app updates available, and when I try to “Download All Free Updates” at once, a window pops up stating “IMPORTANT: This product contains material that may be objectionable to children under 17. By proceeding, you are confirming that you are 17 or older.” and then I get an error message stating that iTunes could not complete my request because an unknown error (414) occurred. I have no idea which of these apps has been given a 17+ rating — at first glance they all seem pretty tame — otherwise, I’d update those manually and then try to download the rest all at once again. As it stands, I’m forced to update them all one by one. I’ve also seen the following error appear when I try to get an update on some individual apps:

MZCommerceBuy.AgeCheckFailureKey.addToCart_message MZCommerceBuy.AgeCheckFailureKey.explanation”

There’s clearly some sort of bug in the age verification process during app updates and this is getting a bit odd.

The general consensus here seems to be to download your 17+ rated Apps one at a time and save all your others for a mass download. It would also be helpful to download your updates for applications before too many build up in your queue. You can update many of your applications directly from your iPhone and download updates on your computer even if your iPhone is not plugged in. While it does not appear that the recent update to Snow Leopard directly addressed this issue, watch for the next iTunes update to tackle the problem.

If you’ve seen this issue on your end or located a fix or workaround, please let us know.

On Tuesday, shareware developer Maintain released version 4.6.1 of Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition), Cocktail, the popular shareware utility program that allows for additional Mac OS X system tests.

The new version, a 2.0 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

- Addresses an issue in which Cocktail may unexpectedly quit while clearing Mac OS X 10.6.2 system caches.
- Added Mac OS X 10.6.2 compatibility.

Cocktail 4.6.1 retails for a US$14.95 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to run.

As much as the Hackintosh community may love Mac OS X, Apple doesn’t always love them back.

Per OSXDaily, support for Intel’s Atom processor is confirmed to be missing in the final release of 10.6.2.

Apple’s latest update for Snow Leopard has broken support for Intel’s Atom processor line. Mac OS X 10.6.2 was released Monday afternoon, and was Apple’s second major update for Snow Leopard.

OSXDaily reported that various netbook and “hackintosh” forums are “blowing up with problems of 10.6.2 instant rebooting their Atom-based notebooks.” Systems using the Atom processor will go into a startup-loop if the 10.6.2 update is installed.

Support for Atom fluctuated over the course of 10.6.2 development, and Apple was mum about the subject.

It is recommended that anyone using OS X on Atom-based systems should not install the update. Many believe that a community-generated fix will be developed soon. Prominent hackintosh blogger StellaRola commented, “Just an FYI, this is OSx86 after all and none of the scenes hackers really let down on support. The latest kernel may not be “officially” supported but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a modded kernel around the corner.”

Intel’s Atom processor is a low-cost, low-power chip intended for notebooks, netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs. Although current Apple products do not sport the Atom chips, a dedicated community has formed around the practice of installing Snow Leopard on Atom netbooks.

On Tuesday, shareware developer Maintain released version 4.6 of Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition), Cocktail, the popular shareware utility program that allows for additional Mac OS X system tests.

The new version, a 2.0 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

- Added ability to clear data detectors caches.
- Added ability to clear QuickLook caches.
- Added “Prevent name to be included when copying email address” setting (Interface – Mail).
- Added “Enable autoplay” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).
- Added “Show subtitles when available” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).
- Added “Remain in full screen when QuickTime Player is inactive” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).
- Added “Allow simultaneous recordings” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).
- Added “Hide titlebar” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).
- Added “Show movie controls” setting (Interface – QuickTime X).

Cocktail 4.6 retails for a US$14.95 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to run.

Late Thursday, Bare Bones Software released version 9.3 of BBEdit, its popular text and HTML editor. The software retails for US$125 for new users. The new version, a 16.1 megabyte download, features the following fixes and improvements:

- Introduces significant enhancements to the Projects feature that debuted in BBEdit 9.0, including support for adding Finder saved searches to projects, and additional flexibility in handling non-text files, including command-driven support for examining files via QuickLook when running on Mac OS X 10.6.

- The BBEdit 9.3 update now lets customers create language-specific ctags data files to serve as completion sources.

- FTP/SFTP browsers now feature a “New” button allowing for the creation of new files and folders directly within the browser window.

- The clippings system has been enhanced to allow combining clipping sets for easier access when working in mixed-language files.

- Attached menu scripts are now easier to manage from within BBEdit’s own preferences.

- BBEdit 9.3 introduces a new command-line tool, “bbfind”, which provides access to BBEdit’s multi-file searching from the Unix command line.

BBEdit 9.3 retails for US$125 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install and run.

Adium, the open source instant message chat client with support for multiple programs (including AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo! Google Talk, Bonjour, etc.) has been updated to version 1.3.8.

The new version, a 21.4 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:

- Updated pidgin-facebook chat, fixing login.
- Corrected the Events preferences not displaying the correct list on Snow Leopard.

Adium X is available for free and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run. The program functions as a Universal Binary and runs at native speeds on both PowerPC and Intel-based hardware.

A number of MacBook and MacBook Pro users are reporting that their systems running inordinately hot after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, causing their fans to work exceptionally loud. According to CNET, users in this thread on the Apple Support Discussions forums focus the issue primarily on MacBook Pros, though some scattered entries from MacBook owners suggest the issues may be noticed in many of Apple’s notebooks.

Users’ machines tend to run extremely hot, causing the fans to cycle at a high rate and deplete battery power at an accelerated clip. ASD forum user “Ryan83″ reports:

“Fans running constantly at 6000 RPM without any program running – - just letting it idle or running solely iTunes. iPhoto 09 unusable – - when you edit in full screen – - the screen shows colored artifacts all over. Internet has been very spotty and misbehaves.”

Similar symptoms are reported by many of the thread contributors. Typically, CPU usage will spike when users do media-heavy actions with their systems, such as editing photos with Photoshop, cutting movies with Final Cut Pro, or watching media online at sites like YouTube or Hulu. Some users suggest that it could be a hardware issue with the actual fans, though this is unlikely (at least at first). Because most users report the problem after their upgrade to Snow Leopard, chances are it is a software issue. If left unattended, the problem could eventually lead to the fans, logic board, or other hardware becoming corrupt.

Some things to check :
- Be sure all your programs are Snow Leopard compatible. Several users reported that updating the notification utility, Growl, to the Snow Leopard ready version, 1.2, solved their overheating issues. Users should open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities) and take a look at any background processes that may be running. If any of those programs are not Snow Leopard compatible, they could be causing the excessive CPU usage and heat production.

- When in doubt, especially if you are under AppleCare, taking your machine to an AppleCare Authorized Technician or an Apple Store is a good idea. You will want to avoid any future damage to your hardware as soon as possible. Keep in mind that a solution may involve reinstalling Snow Leopard. Be sure you have a stable and current backup of all your important data. As we have mentioned in recent articles, the 10.6.2 update for Snow Leopard is expected very soon and includes (based on information from beta releases) a myriad of fixes that may include a solution to the overheating issue. When the update is made available, drop by MacFixIt to get a rundown of all the included fixes.

If you’ve seen this issue on your end or found a workaround or fix of your own, please let us know in the comments.

Onyx, Titanium Software’s popular freeware multifunction utility for Mac OS X, has been updated to version 2.1. The new version, a 12.1 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

- Very many modifications in this version of Onyx. They relate to primarily compatibility with Snow Leopard.
- No installer anymore… Just drag and drop.
- Now, you can uninstall OnyX from the OnyX menu of the application.

OnyX requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.

On Tuesday, virtualization softare maker VMWare released version 3.0 of its Fusion software for the Mac.

Similar to other virtualization software packages, VMWare allows users to run alternate operating systems such as Windows and Linux distributions on Intel-based Macs at native speeds. Other features, such as Unity, allow users to run and minimize Windows applications from the Mac OS X Dock.

The new version, which can be found here, offers the following new features and fixes:

- Support for 4-way SMP to maximize performance on the latest iMac and Mac Pro. Lower overhead and up to 2X faster resume time for a suspended virtual machine.

- More Mac-Like Than Ever. Banish the start menu and launch Windows apps from the new “always-on” applications menu, even when VMware Fusion isn’t running.

- Optimized for Snow Leopard. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion 3 leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s advanced architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel.

- VMware Fusion 3 will be the first to enable the full Windows 7 experience, side-by-side with your Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D.

- Support for OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 will enable users to run their favorite 3D Windows games and applications.

The software requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run and retails for US$79.99.