There is a new feature in Mac OS 10.3.x (Panther), Mac OS 10.4.x (Tiger), and Mac OS 10.5.x (Leopard) that automatically defragments files and optimizes the file system performance. An article at Apple's web site describes Apple's philosophy on defragmenting and optimizing hard drives.
It is important to bear in mind the distinction between defragmentation and optimization. As a file is created or modified, it can be broken into pieces when written to the disk. Each piece is referred to as a file fragment. Fragmented files can slow system performance by causing the system to seek and find each piece of a file when it's loaded. Mac OS 10.3.x will automatically defragment some files in the background.
Optimization of disk performance is different from defragmentation in that optimization moves frequently used files to sections of the hard drive that can be accessed faster than other parts. Mac OS 10.3.x does not optimize hard drives, although several 3rd-party programs will attempt to perform such optimization. Apple believes that such optimization is unnecessary due to improvements in the way files are read from and written to the hard drive.
Disk optimization on the newer Intel-based Macintoshes is limited because the companies which produced disk defragmenting software are working on newer versions of their software. Currently MicroMat's TechTools Pro and Coriolis Systems iDefrag are the only Universal disk defragmenting application available.
Note: It is always a good idea to have a current backup of your important data before attempting to use a 3rd-party disk repair or optimization utility. No program is infallible and any failure will lead to a catastrophic loss of data.
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