Just a note to everyone here who says that Spotlight's a great thing and I should just shove it becuase I don't 'have' to upgrade. I'm a Sys Admin in higher ed. I've been given a mandate to keep all computers on the same OS for a functionality/usabilty standpoint. As Apple only allows the current OS to run on their shipping machines, I am forced to run 10.4.

I like much of 10.4 many of the 200 reasons Apple touts are compeling enough to upgrade for on their own. Can you say ACL's!

However when Spotlight enabled clients log into my server (mount their Network homedirectory) they HOSE my network right around 13 clients brings my xServe to it's knees. If 4 or 5 of those clients initiate Spotlight searches, the Server times out and 'disconnects' all connected users. Who then get to enjoy the BeachBall swirl.

Spotlight is an indefensable feature. Yes it is a step in the right direction, but it us too utterly imature of a feature to force on users. I'm faced with the choice of disabling Spoghtlight entirely or not indexing any volumes ... killing all quality find by content searching in Mail and other apps.

Quit telling people to go buy Windows just because they speak up about valid problems in Mac OS. You sound like the psycho right-wing nutz who say I'm un-American because I don't believe in the policies of the Bush administration. Please take a moment to realize that Apple is not perfect, Mac OS is not perfect, Steve Jobs is not perfect and Spotlight sure as hell is NOT PERFECT (or even all that good).

I totally agree. I like Spotlight, but Apple needs to start taking more time and not making Microsoft like shortcuts.

Spotlight deleting and reindexing external disks is a joke. A Microsoft class decision. Can't tell you how many times I've lost 3 hours when I plug my laptop in target disked to the g5 and then poof, index gone. Can't add it to privacy list, why? That puts something on the disk saying "don't index" so when I boot back onto the laptop, no Spotlight at all.

Lame.

come on Apple, show us you can make better decisions. If this was Windows, we'd all be gaffawing and laughing.