Did you get home only to find that
Mac OS X 10.5.3 had been released today? Well, just as some users were unpacking and installing the shiny new update, issues with
SIMBL plug-ins were discovered. If you have SIMBL plugins installed, then you may have an error show up when you try to launch an application. Past updates on systems with these plugins installed have been
known to run into some issues.
If you are experiencing plugin predicaments, there is a way to fix the problem. SIMBL plugins (or other, non-SIMBL InputManager plugins, which may also be problematic) can be installed in any one of the following directories:
- ~/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/
- /Library/InputManagers/
- ~/Library/Contextual Menu Items/
- ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
- ~/Library/InputManagers/
When you see the error in an application, just jot down the name of the plugin and look in those directories for it. When you find the plugin, just move it to a separate folder or toss it into the trash can. The application launch problem should cease.
Have you experienced plug-in issues since installing the 10.5.3 update? If so, tell us about it in the comments.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-28-2008 @ 5:54PM
Joost de Valk said...
Yep, same warning for avatars in my addressbook...
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:02PM
Niclas said...
Blurminal and Inquisitor working fine here.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:10PM
highfivers said...
My favorite plugin Smart Scroll was disabled, but those developers have already posted an update that keeps it alive.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:16PM
Aaron Davies said...
WTF? This is the worst explanation of an "issue" I've ever seen on TUAW. Two things completely missing from this post: first, this is expected, indeed desired, behavior after a system update; second, the posted "solution" consists of uninstalling the plugin.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:27PM
bernd said...
Scalp 0.4 seems to work if you change the "MaxBundleVersion" key to 1244 in the Info.plist file (find it here: (~)/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/Scalp.bundle/Contents/Info.plist)
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:46PM
B said...
it sucks that this is happening to legit plugins, but there was a security hole with ical that I hope is patched with this update.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 6:55PM
Alan said...
Quicksilver stopped working after 10.5.3 update
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 7:06PM
christophercjensen said...
quicksilver B55(3814) works fine for me on 10.5.3
5-30-2008 @ 3:47AM
rpowellweb said...
Alan - quicksilver stopped for me too after the 10.5.3 update. After hours of agony without it I tracked it down to the Twitter plugin for QS - removed it and all works fine.
HTH
5-28-2008 @ 6:57PM
Tristan OTierney said...
FlickrBooth works fine for me. I'd be curious if any of my users has a problem..
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 8:23PM
Wysiwyg said...
I got PithHelmet, SafariStand, AcidSearch and Quicksilver in 10.5.3. Everything runs fine.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 8:47PM
Ed said...
How does TUAW manage to write such odd posts? I mean sure, you could write a post on this topic, but you've got the wrong point. Of course new versions of apps will trigger this message - thats what the message is saying - 'The program has changed and I've not been tested with it'.
I sometimes think that TUAW is staffed by a bunch of idiots. Sure, some are clever and knowledgeable but they're dragged down by the staff who write these pointless posts, adverts for random very expensive software and stupid commentary on subjects they don't understand. If only they weren't paid per post.
TUAW is great for getting news, but terrible at actually writing the articles.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 9:14PM
dagamer34 said...
Does Apple hate SIMBL? I dislike how the disabled GrowlMail in 10.5.2 and that STILL hasn't been resolved.
*sigh*
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 3:17AM
Olek said...
There is Growlmail update for 10.5.2 for long time, it also works on 10.5.3.
5-28-2008 @ 9:22PM
Jack said...
everything stopped working after the update. it will not load to my desktop after i typed log in on the password page. good job i had everything updated before i did the update.
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 10:13PM
Stinky12694 said...
Ahh, afloat still works...(thank god)
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 1:27AM
johnny poon said...
Um... SIMBL isn't a plugin. It would be more accurately described as a hack and unsupported by Apple.
For you idiots who don't yet understand that a system upgrade might render your hack useless, please turn in your Mac and get a Dell. You are too stupid to live.
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 3:16AM
Ben said...
Correct, it's a hack, and it's a shame we have to use hacks, but we have no other choice.
It's good to point out that these are indeed hacks, but it annoys me when people get annoyed because WE get annoyed when the "hacks" we use are broken.
Some of these "hacks" are absolutely vital to the use of our Mac, because Apple, while providing insanely great software, fails to provide a few vital features - such as ad blocking in Safari.
I can not and will not use a browser without ad blocking. Period. End of discussion/argument.
Therefore, without Pithhelmet or SafariBlock, Safari is completely useless to me. I might as well go read a book instead.
These hacks are absolutely vital, because Apple does not provide a plugin architecture.
We have no choice but to use them, and hence no choice but to suffer the issues that occur around upgrade time.
5-29-2008 @ 8:19AM
conigs said...
Ben... point by point...
"It's good to point out that these are indeed hacks, but it annoys me when people get annoyed because WE get annoyed when the "hacks" we use are broken."
I'm glad you recognize that these are hacks. But instead of getting annoyed (at one or all of the steps in your chain) and complaining, write the developer of said hack and say "Hey, I'm getting this error in 10.5.3. Is there a fix?" (Also, you acknowledge that these are hacks, but later in the same sentence you put hacks in quotes, implying that they aren't really hacks. Which is it?)
"Some of these "hacks" are absolutely vital to the use of our Mac"
Part of the deal with using hacks (note my lack of quotes) is accepting the fact that when things get updated, the hacks might not work anymore and need an update. So anything you consider "vital" probably shouldn't rely on hacks. There are most likely other solutions.
"I can not and will not use a browser without ad blocking. Period."
Personal choice here, and I have no problem with that. But again, if things get updated, your hack might not work. There are browsers with a supported plug-in architecture. So in the interim, you can use one of those until Pithhelmet or SafariBlock is updated.
"I might as well go read a book instead."
Sound advice. Reading books is actually a really good use of time.
"These hacks are absolutely vital, because Apple does not provide a plugin architecture.
We have no choice but to use them, and hence no choice but to suffer the issues that occur around upgrade time."
Now you're just being melodramatic. Get over yourself. You're using hacks. It's pretty much a given that an upgrade can and will break hacks. And you do have a choice whether or not to use them. I had SIMBL installed for a while back in Tiger, but I stopped using it; or I should say chose to stop using it. Also, no one is forcing you to upgrade your system. There's a post like this telling you your hacks will break so you are warned before you chose to upgrade. (Hmm, there's that word again... choice...)
Okay, I think I'm off my high horse now.
5-29-2008 @ 11:08AM
Ben said...
Hey conigs,
I like your post. And I totally agree with you.
In summary, correct, I will not be upgrading until I have confirmed that PithHelmet and Saft still work (those are the two I use). I have no problem waiting until they are updated/working - I didn't mean to imply that I would not be waiting, or that I was unhappy waiting, or that it had not occurred to me that, in my situation, it would be wise to wait. I've been using Macs since 1987 *always* wait a few days before running any update on my main machine.
Also, on reading; I agree, reading is great, and I've read extensively ever since I discovered books when I was a kid. I also didn't mean to imply that I don't read, because I do, and I read a lot.
On choice, you are also correct, and indeed I have numerous choices. The choice I make, as always, is to not update until I've tested the update one of my other Macs (yes, I have several, and also two Linux boxes [centos], a Solaris 10 box, and one running OpenBSD) to ensure Pithhelmet and Saft still work.
I was not complaining about not being able to upgrade immediately; rather, I was annoyed about people suggesting that we should not use these hacks or that we should not be annoyed when they get broken.
I DO get annoyed when they get broken, but I also accept that that's just the way it is. Accepting it doesn't preclude being annoyed about it. A better word perhaps would be "irritated" though, rather than annoyed.
Oh and yes you are correct, they are definitely hacks, and I have no problem with that. I didn't mean to suggest they are not, by quoting the word. These hacks are, however, vital, at least to me.