Auto Update or Not to Sequoia for Pro Apps?

I still prefer to do a clean install. I migrate only the user data and reload the applications. I find that there will always be a few that get left between, that I don’t reload because I don’t use them or because they’ve become obsolete and aren’t updated for the new OS.

I’m sure the great majority of users simply update the OS with no ill effects.

I also tend to do a clean install. I did it every year, but when Sonoma came I was "lazy" and just upgraded in place. I had done a clean install with Ventura, and everything was working ok. I had no problems.

I also upgraded another Mac to Sequoia directly, but my main mac is still at Sonoma. I will finally replace this one (an Intel 16") with a new M4 Pro soon (yay!) and will migrate only the user accounts on the new mac - so that will be a clean install.

The most important thing is to have a good backup.

One thing: I hope you don't mean Auto Update, as in have the system set to automatically download and install updates. That's a real no no for me. I have the system set to auto install security updates, but not any other new releases.

I take a different route by only using the OS version that came with the machine until it is time to update the Mac. I only do the incremental and security upgrades. Over the years I have found that most if not all of the new OS features are not needed for the kind of work that I do. Will be upgrading my 2020 M1 Mini to the M4 Pro Mini later this month so will have to learn the ins and outs of Sequoia.

I've used Migration Assistant on dozens and dozens of personal and business Macs over the past two decades and never had an issue. As a retied IT engineer, I think the "clean install" paradigm is very outdated and always was over rated.

BenB wrote:

I've used Migration Assistant on dozens and dozens of personal and business Macs over the past two decades and never had an issue. As a retied IT engineer, I think the "clean install" paradigm is very outdated and always was over rated.

Maybe, but at times we see users here complaining of problems, only to find from their Etrecheck reports that they have, on their Apple Silicon Macs, still software of El Capitan vintage. I find that it's ok to upgrade once or twice, but especially for those people that install everything anything and have no idea what they have, a clean install followed by Migration Assistant, but selecting only the user accounts, give a fresh start and leaves that old cruft. Still this year, we've seen quite a few people still having Silverlight, RealPlayer, or Soundflower, for example.

I think the power button is on the bottom because Apple feels that you do not need to in it on and off. Take the iPhone and iPad as an example. They do not have a true on and off button. The power button on them only turns the screen on and off. There is no boot up process to run through on them.

Lot of discussion about shutting down the computers at night. Some people do, others shut them down if they're away for any length of time. Institutions with multiple labs with 20 or so systems in each like to shut them down at night, which means they have to be booted during the day. They also often get shut down during the day when the computer changes uses. It's cleaner than just switching users. On a laptop it's easy of course, you just tap the keyboard to boot the system.

The phone and pad do have boot processes. Both the pad and the phone cane be powered down in the system software, or can be powered down using a combination of buttons.

Do you have cameras to use on all those tripods? 😎

The M4 mini is wonderful except for the stupid power button placement.