Warning: If you use Linotype Font Explorer, DO NOT upgrade to Leopard 10.5.2 yet

UPDATE: Nice work Linotype - a fix has been posted

According to the Apple and Linotype discussion boards, the latest Leopard update, 10.5.2 and Linotype Font Explorer aren't getting along so well. It appears that FX makes other apps and the dock hang until you force-quit the font manager.

What is particularly troubling is that Linotype Font Explorer is rapidly becoming the defacto font management program on Macintosh - edging out Extensis Suitcase for many people/organizations. I am very surprised this didn't get caught - especially with the long testing period that 10.5.2 underwent.

According to one poster:

I've just upgraded my Mac OSX Leopard installation to version 10.5.2, and Linotype Font Explorer seems to make other applications hang. When I force quit Font Explorer, then the other apps begin responding once more. I found nothing on this in the forums or FAQs, but it is the first day of the update, so I'm not surprised.

In my system.log the following error appears:

Feb 11 18:14:05 jonathanwinns-power-mac-g5 Linotype FontExplorer X[303]: *** CFMessagePort: bootstrap_register(): failed 1103 (0x44f) 'Service name already exists', port = 0x8207, name = 'ATS Query Port'\nSee /usr/include/servers/bootstrap_defs.h for the error codes.

I don't have the faintest clue what that means. Please let me know if you have any solution ideas, or if I can provide more data.

another, on Apple's discussion said:

Anyone else having issues with Linotype's FontExplorer X?
Safari refuses to load certain pages when FE is running
iPhoto wouldn't start up.

Quitting FE fixes the issue, but then of course I have to use Font Book...

I turned off extraneous fonts, cleared caches, reset safari, checked for obvious conflicts, etc.
All to no avail. Only thing that works is quitting FontExplorer, and that seems to instantly do the trick.

Thoughts?

If you are a Linotype Font Explorer user or administrator, which I know is a lot of people, hang back on upgrading to 10.5.2 until some clarification/fixes become available. I'll post back if I find out anything more.

Thanks Jon!