Arduino 1.0.1 causes Mac OS X to crash regularly. Ideas?

PapaG:
I'm getting exactly the same reaction. I think the problem has to do with Java, the 1.0.x versions of the IDE and USB communication. There have been some upgrades to Java for OS X this Fall.

The IDE uses RXTX to determine what serial ports are available and for the Serial Monitor to communicate with the serial port. avrdude handles the serial port directly for programming.

It is more likely there is a driver / chip issue that is causing the problem and less likely the IDE.

PapaG:
I haven't upgraded to the latest Oracle supplied Java. I am still running Java for OS X 2012-006 version 1.0 from October 2012.

Why would you use the Oracle supplied Java?

kg4wsv:

I don't consider "immediate reboots" and "kernel panics" to be the same thing.

Maybe not, but a kernel panic usually causes a reboot...

I have never had an "immediate reboot" on OSX. Kernel Panics go to a very distinctive error screen that requires a power cycle. There is nothing immediate about it.