It’s that time again, kiddies -- Apple has fired up the Software Update factory once again and the assembly line is busy pushing OS X Lion 10.7.4 onto Macs everywhere, with a little Safari 5.1.7 thrown in for good measure.

Apple has released OS X Lion 10.7.4 and Safari 5.1.7 on Wednesday, right on the heels of iOS 5.1.1 earlier in the week. The new updates are available now via Software Update, or can be downloaded manually and installed.

OS X Lion 10.7.4 includes a number of fixes, so let’s cut straight to the chase:

• Resolve an issue in which the "Reopen windows when logging back in" setting is always enabled.

• Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards.

• Addresses permission issues that may be caused if you use the Get Info inspector function "Apply to enclosed items…" on your home directory. For more information, see this article.

• Improve Internet sharing of PPPoE connections.

• Improve using a proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file.

• Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to an SMB server.

• Improve printing to an SMB print queue.

• Improve performance when connecting to a WebDAV server.

• Enable automatic login for NIS accounts.

• Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.

• Improve the reliability of binding and logging into Active Directory accounts.

Oddly, the OS X Lion v10.7.4 update  also includes Safari 5.1.6, even though Apple is currently pushing out Safari 5.1.7, which disables outdated versions of Adobe Flash Player “to help keep your Mac secure.” A support document explains how to re-enable an out-of-date version, should you prefer to play fast and loose with your Mac’s security.

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