Mac OS X forcing reboots after almost every software update

[jb60606]

Do you guys recall when one of the advantages of Mac OS X over Windows was that it required fewer reboots after software updates and installs?

I recall it being one of the selling points in maybe a few of their commercials and advertisements, way back when, along with "quicker boot times".

It seems that -- nowadays -- I'm required to reboot OS X almost every time their is a software update for the OS or value-added software, while my Windows box seems like it goes months between required reboots after Microsoft software/OS updates.

 

[MacDawg]

Is it really an issue?
I mean how long does it really take?

I take advantage of the opportunity to get up and go to the bathroom
I come back and I am good to go again in more ways than one

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[jb60606]

Is it really an issue?
I mean how long does it really take?

I take advantage of the opportunity to get up and go to the bathroom
I come back and I am good to go again in more ways than one

Woof, Woof - Dawg

Yes, it's a huge issue for me and the applications I run (and consequently have to kill) many of which are tedious and time-consuming to close (OSs/VMs, IDEs, etc.).

Computers: They're not just for gaming, music and social networking.

 

[aaron11193]

OS X needs to take a leaf out of the Ubuntu book IMO, the only time I really need to restart is when I get a kernel update

Also, I always wonder why Linux distros are one of the only OSs with software repositories that update pretty much every application/utility/etc. that you have.

 

[GGJstudios]

Yes, it's a huge issue for me and the applications I run (and consequently have to kill) many of which are tedious and time-consuming to close (OSs/VMs, IDEs, etc.).

Computers: They're not just for gaming, music and social networking.

You can always elect to run the updates at a later, more convenient time.

 

[ooninay]

I can't speak to how often one has to reboot Windows because of updates since it's a long time since I've used a Windows computer on a regular basis, but yes, it is my impression that OS X reboots after updates are becoming more the norm than the exception, and I too remember a time not too long ago when Apple used to boast about how, unlike Windows, you usually didn't have to reboot after a system update.

This isn't a big issue for me (I would say it's a fairly miniscule one), but for my mom it's actually preventing her from applying updates since she always has a dozen or so programs open at a time that she never seems to want to interrupt for a reboot, so she now just routinely ignores the software update warnings.

 

[Bonsai1214]

depends on what's updated. if its like ilife, no restart is required. but if it changes the framework of the os, like with Safari or itunes or a security update, odds are it'll need a reboot to take effect.

 

[Keleko]

You can thank Quick Look for the reboots. iTunes and Quicktime are used by Quick Look to preview those files, so you now have to reboot when one of those two files changes. There are services to detect and worth with iPod and iPhones that are part of iTunes to force reboots. Safari has gotten more hooked into the OS like IE is for Windows, so updates to it also require a reboot. And, of course, there are the security updates that are always modifying things that require a reboot to complete.

Since iTunes, Quicktime and Safari are the most often updated, you're rebooting every time there's a change to one of them.

 

[miles01110]

Don't really see why this is a huge issue. Unless it's a security update I wait until there are four or five updates waiting to be installed then just do it once a month.

 

[jb60606]

Don't really see why this is a huge issue. Unless it's a security update I wait until there are four or five updates waiting to be installed then just do it once a month.

Just saying... it was a huge issue on Windows, wasn't it? Or at least it was huge enough for Apple to draw attention to it in their advertisements. It's just ironic.

 

[atyoung]

Also, I always wonder why Linux distros are one of the only OSs with software repositories that update pretty much every application/utility/etc. that you have.

That's easy, linux distros are bundles of third party software. Every time the maintainer for the application(s) recompiles the software, you'll find the repo updated. Keep in mind also that most of the more streamlined distros compile with options that tied to the specific kernel (which also varies from kernel to kernel), whatever it may be at the time, which vary from distro to distro.

Just saying... it was a huge issue on Windows, wasn't it? Or at least it was huge enough for Apple to draw attention to it in their advertisements. It's just ironic.

The problem with windows was not the update reboots so much as the, just about any program install required a reboot. I venture to say that the vast majority of updates in OSX don't need reboots per say, just that its easier to have the use do that as opposed to having them take care of flushing and restarting damons, killing processes in correct order etc. It's simply more user friendly that way.

 

[locust76]

The problem with windows was not the update reboots so much as the, just about any program install required a reboot.

Wrong, only software installed under Windows that requires special system services to be running or drivers to be installed need a reboot, and many times that's even optional.

OS X, on the other hand, forces a reboot to make a simple Java runtime environment update...

 

[allan.nyholm]

depends on what's updated. if its like ilife, no restart is required. but if it changes the framework of the os, like with Safari or itunes or a security update, odds are it'll need a reboot to take effect.

iLife '09 requires a restart(it did when I installed it 14 days ago - iLife Support it's called) iWork '08 does not.

I believe I rebooted 3-4 times with everything installed from stock 10.6 Snow Leopard. Bothersome, but had to be done.

 

[drlunanerd]

Tip: if you have multiple updates to install that all require a reboot, say after you've done a clean install of OS X, you do not have to reboot multiple times. Simply install each update one after the other and reboot at the end

 

[Ardoptres]

I don't see the problem with rebooting sometimes...

 

[Winni]

Just saying... it was a huge issue on Windows, wasn't it? Or at least it was huge enough for Apple to draw attention to it in their advertisements. It's just ironic.

Bingo. But the fanboys conveniently ignore that fact. They also ignore the fact that Apple made a lot of fun of Vista's "Cancel or allow" feature, but that only a little time later Leopard was released with an also annoying "Deny/Allow" dialog.

Also, OS X tended to become less and less stable and slower with each new release. The last time I saw blue screens in Windows was years ago. However, I've seen a bunch of gray screens of death in Tiger and Leopard.

The sad truth is that both platforms have become so similar that it's hard to tell which one is worse.

The rather silent winner in this whole mess for me is Ubuntu Linux. We've consolidated our Unix/Linux servers on Ubuntu at work and I've also been evaluating Ubuntu 9.10 64Bit a lot lately - and I really like what I see there. I find it a lot easier to setup a new workstation with Ubuntu than it is with Windows or OS X (I'm talking about a fully configured and usable workstation, not just a plain operating system with iToys apps on it). Ubuntu is also a lot faster and more robust than both Windows and OS X on the SAME hardware (using my Quad Mac Pro as a reference).

In the end, however, the applications still define which platform to use. I can't run Aperture on Windows, I cannot run Sage's business software on Mac OS X and I cannot run either on Linux. In turn, I cannot create the customized appliances with Windows or OS X that I have created with Linux.

So I'm afraid I will be stuck in all three worlds for quite a while. But Linux is gaining ground quickly recently, and I already like it better than the two proprietary platforms - and the companies behind them.

 

[Gregg2]

Apple made a lot of fun of Vista's "Cancel or allow" feature, but that only a little time later Leopard was released with an also annoying "Deny/Allow" dialog.

I've been using Leopard for two years, and have never seen that dialog.

 

[Keleko]

That dialog appears every time you install a new program (at least one I've downloaded and installed) in Leopard and Snow Leopard. It is FAR less annoying in OSX than it is in Vista.

 

[belvdr]

However, I've seen a bunch of gray screens of death in Tiger and Leopard.

I haven't seen either in a very long time. Also, Vista's Allow/Deny feature pops up for everything you do, not just one time when you launch a new application.

One thing I wish Win7 would have corrected was, if I have permission, to allow me to view things without popping up that dialog. But if I go to change something, then prompt me.

 

[Serif]

This isn't a big issue for me (I would say it's a fairly miniscule one), but for my mom it's actually preventing her from applying updates since she always has a dozen or so programs open at a time that she never seems to want to interrupt for a reboot, so she now just routinely ignores the software update warnings.

Well I can sympathise with your mom on this. Coming from a background of managing a bunch of Debian servers, being asked to reboot because I'd installed a printer driver was quite a WTF moment. If other Unix like systems can avoid a reboot on anything other than a kernel update (and sometimes not event then), then it shouldn't be beyond Apple to be able to do the same.

This reminds me of a scene I witnessed when NT was new and shiny and a software vendor had just installed the latest port of their software for servers running the new platform. The guy was just about to click on restart when the people running the outfit asked him what he thought he was doing and informed him that the next time they could schedule a restart was something like 3am on a Sunday morning in a couple of weeks time.

 

[atyoung]

Wrong, only software installed under Windows that requires special system services to be running or drivers to be installed need a reboot, and many times that's even optional.

OS X, on the other hand, forces a reboot to make a simple Java runtime environment update...

Thats the dumbest thing I've ever herd, no offense. Do not try to defend windows reboot reputation by quoting the propaganda of some peice of softwares FAQ answer on why do I need to reboot after install. I can think of at least a dozen programs that are what a typical user would install, that have always, ALWAYS required a reboot of windows since the inception of the OS. Granted some of the reasons behind said reboots are as you listed, however I should not have to reboot my system for a software install. And by your definition that would also include, 90% of the updates that come around for the OS itself.

The only reason you are forced to reboot on the mac is like I said, because the average user doesn't know how to flush and reset the things necessary to do the update hot. If you did they would be optional for you as well.

 

[NewMacbookPlz]

I've been using Leopard for two years, and have never seen that dialog.

The only thing I've seen like that is in SL it asks you if it's okay to run a new program after it's been installed/downloaded from online.

 

[Daveoc64]

You can always elect to run the updates at a later, more convenient time.

That's something that annoys me about Mac OS X's updates.

In Windows and Ubuntu, if an update needs a restart then the update will be automatically applied when you actually restart the OS the next time.

In Mac OS X, Software Update doesn't work like that. You have to install and restart straight away or cancel the update.

The behaviour of Apple Software Update in Windows is the same.

 

[GGJstudios]

That's something that annoys me about Mac OS X's updates.

In Windows and Ubuntu, if an update needs a restart then the update will be automatically applied when you actually restart the OS the next time.

In Mac OS X, Software Update doesn't work like that. You have to install and restart straight away or cancel the update.

The behaviour of Apple Software Update in Windows is the same.

Mac OS X gives you the choice to apply the update now or cancel it and apply it later, or not apply it at all. What's the problem? You have absolute control over what updates to apply and when.

 

[gorjan]

Bingo. But the fanboys conveniently ignore that fact. They also ignore the fact that Apple made a lot of fun of Vista's "Cancel or allow" feature, but that only a little time later Leopard was released with an also annoying "Deny/Allow" dialog.

I know. A couple of days ago I helped a friend that switched from Vista to a Mac set up some hard drives and install some software on his new Mac, and Snow Leopard was asking to deny/allow all the time. Every third mouse tap was to deny or allow and to enter the password. Suddenly he bursts out: ****, this is much worse than Vista!