I am hoping for a terminal command or recommendation to avoid this Software Update page and go directly to System Preferences, as having to click the back button every time is cumbersome. Currently using mojave 10.14.1. Thanks. My current solution is to keep System Pref minimized instead of closing it
I think it only does this if there's an update waiting for you. You could try the command below, but it still might get hijacked by the waiting update. Can't test as have no updates waiting. open "x-apple.systempreferences:"
This really does sound like you're solving the wrong problem? You have to be in System Preferences so often that it matters? And you've already committed to Mojave, why not allow the next update to install?
It won't really take any extra space and the update has probably already downloaded to your computer. Once it's installed the operating system is about the same footprint as before the update.
For posterity's sake, I should mention that after a day or 2 of having "check for updates" disabled, it seems to have given up and now says that 10.14.1 is the most current version. Now to download that update
I am of the opinion that 10.14.2 is a "golden"/ "magical" build. At least it has been on every machine i have installed it onto. MacOS as it should be.