Opinions wanted on "Automatically keep my Mac up to date"

pedz

Registered
Time was, I was more on the pulse of things and so I would know about a bad update before I would apply it. But now days I tend to just apply the updates. Which begs the question, why not just enable automatic updates?

Opinions?
 
The only problem is expense softwares on Mac that make money! Sometimes in yearly Mac OS upgrades can wait until that software is upgraded for the new system!
 
The automatic update downloads and installs as soon as it is released. Some updates need a restart which can come at an inopportune time - like when you are in the middle of working on something. Granted you can tell the machine to restart later but will you remember to do the restart? Another problem would be for people whose internet connection is best at specific times. You don't want to have a download begin and then loose the connection.
Personally, I like to do the updates on my time.
 
Personally, I still like to have a level of control about which updates are installed and when. For small updates, especially when there is a security fix, I go ahead straight away, usually. I figure a security update could be urgent and that poses a greater risk than the possibility of any issues with the update itself.

For major OS updates, such as the annual ones, I tend to wait a little to see if people run into compatibility issues or serious bugs. One macOS update years ago "broke" a program I relied upon for my work, so that was quite a problem!

When it comes to app updates, I have a similar approach of installing minor updates but holding off with the big ones. Every now and then there can be a nasty surprise, such as switch in compatibility, a loss of features, or a change in funding models...
 
Back in the day – hey kid, pour me a whisky! – when we had to walk two miles to the café to find the Internet and a good mocha, the "new" OS was not necessarily "better." Sometimes THAT APP YOU MUST USE had not been updated. Or that bug was not found by the Code Monkeys – "Really, just go into Terminal and type this long code and hope you do not mix up 'l' with 'I.'"

Or your current computer is not compatible with the Latest and Greatest.

Back then – through sleet, driving hurricane, and 100℉ in the shade – sometimes it was best to wait a few iterations when a new major upgrade came out.

I have found that less of a problem. Still, I would generally make a bootable clone, then try out the "new" update, see if everything works. If it does not, it was just a matter of booting to the clone and fixing. The Kids These Days – with their hot rods, bobby socks, and "the B-Bop" – use Time Machine.

Now get off my lawn!

– J.D.
 
Back in the day – hey kid, pour me a whisky! – when we had to walk two miles to the café to find the Internet and a good mocha, the "new" OS was not necessarily "better." Sometimes THAT APP YOU MUST USE had not been updated. Or that bug was not found by the Code Monkeys – "Really, just go into Terminal and type this long code and hope you do not mix up 'l' with 'I.'"

Or your current computer is not compatible with the Latest and Greatest.

Back then – through sleet, driving hurricane, and 100℉ in the shade – sometimes it was best to wait a few iterations when a new major upgrade came out.

I have found that less of a problem. Still, I would generally make a bootable clone, then try out the "new" update, see if everything works. If it does not, it was just a matter of booting to the clone and fixing. The Kids These Days – with their hot rods, bobby socks, and "the B-Bop" – use Time Machine.

Now get off my lawn!

– J.D.
Funny! Personally, I wait for the biggies and just do the securities as they come. I always love it after an upgrade of some sort that suddenly I'm opting into things I opted out of, or I'm getting notifications that were turned off, or alerts that I don't want... and I have to stop. and. then. remember. how. to......... the room is spinning.
 
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