10.6.6 to 10.6.8 - advantages? disadvantages?

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Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

10.6.6 to 10.6.8 - advantages? disadvantages?

I am still running 10.6.6 on my new iMac (introduced 2011 May)

I haven't done the update to 10.6.8 yet.

Everything works fine as is, but I suspect security updates which are available for 10.6.8 would be an excellent idea.

Is there any reason not to - or reason to - do the update?

I've not done other updates listed by SU because I don't know if the SU assumes I'll update to 10.6.8 first and the other suggestions are dependent on that first or if it wouldn't suggest anything not compatible with 10.6.6 (as I know, say, the Firefox update is wont to do by suggesting updates to Ff that my Tiger MBP can't do)

Somewhere, someone, mentioned something about the App storebeing an issue with 10.6.8 - any info on this? I am not an App Store user.

Thanks,

Mrs H

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Dec 11, 2011 1:50 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 11, 2011 1:54 PM in response to Mrs H

The App Store on 10.6.8 was changed to better handle Lion.

If you don't use App Store or have plans to get to Lion then stay at 10.6.6.

Allan

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Answer 2

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Dec 11, 2011 2:13 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Thanks Allan for the speedy reply!

Just curious, how does the App Store get involved in 10.6.8? I've never used App store except to get my free copy of Lion in the uptodate offering when I bought my iMac but I do NOT intend to go to Lion any time soon, if ever!

What about 10.6.7 - same advice, stay at 10.6.6?

Should/could I do the other updates suggested by SU - I do updates manually after checking what SU suggests?

And somewhere I read about 10.6.8 and improved malware (?) detection - is that only in 6.8?

You can see I've read and lot and not saved what I've read to return to it - my bad.

Mrs H

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Answer 3

Dec 11, 2011 2:25 PM in response to Mrs H

In order to upgrade to Lion, you purchase and download it from the App Store.

Yes, there are security patches to both 10.6.7 and 8. So if you wish to get them for your Mac that would be a good reason for doing thos updates.

Personally from what I have seen with all of those versions of Snow Leopard on my Macs and those I help to support, many of whom are still using 10.6.8, no problems were noticed with any of them.

Allan

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Answer 4

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Dec 11, 2011 2:34 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Allan Eckert wrote:

In order to upgrade to Lion, you purchase and download it from the App Store.

Yes, there are security patches to both 10.6.7 and 8. So if you wish to get them for your Mac that would be a good reason for doing thos updates.
...
Allan

I got the Lion update for free but I don't want to use it - came with my iMac because I bought it just after Lion came out.

So - if I am interested in security updates, I have to go to 6.8 to get the best protection? And will the App store 'Advantage' get in my way or just be there as an option, I'm not clear on this...

Mrs H

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Answer 5

Dec 11, 2011 2:41 PM in response to Mrs H

I think that the free update for Lion does have an expiration date which you might want to check out.

Correct, that has been my experience that the newest version have the most recent security patches.

If you don't use the App Store, it will not get in your way.

Allan

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Answer 6

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Dec 11, 2011 2:57 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Allan Eckert wrote:

I think that the free update for Lion does have an expiration date which you might want to check out.

Correct, that has been my experience that the newest version have the most recent security patches.

If you don't use the App Store, it will not get in your way.

Allan

Yes, it did have an expiration date. But, I've already got the download - free - well before the expiration date. I just don't plan to install it.

So - 10.6.8 it is - if the App Store won't get in my way, as you say it won't, and security patches will be greater/better.

Thanks,

Mrs H

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Answer 7

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Dec 12, 2011 2:36 PM in response to Mrs H

Totally brain dead here (and not a little unhappy) - at 10.6.6 it turns out I've had the app store all along (and it's been spying on me all along) and I just didn't notice it.

Now I've got to learn how to disable it - and I might as well go to 10.6.8 since I'm already at the store like it or not anyway.

Mrs H

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Answer 8

Dec 12, 2011 3:56 PM in response to Mrs H

What do you mean by the App Store spying on you?

Allan

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Answer 9

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Dec 12, 2011 7:56 PM in response to Allan Eckert

What do you mean by the App Store spying on you?

Here we go again. There was a whole discussion about this when the app store first came out (don't recall the link at the moment).

The "spying" referred to is the fact that 10.6.6 and beyond, i.e., all systems with the app store, scan your system (it's believed it is using the spotlight machinery) for possible purchase updates (maybe looking for _MASReceipts. The problem is it's not ever been definitively determined what else this scan is sending back to apple, and when. It may be nothing else, but no one knows for sure.

Personally this is why I made the choice to not have app store on my system, i.e., why I use 10.6.5. Before you say, "why not just ignore the app store app and not use it", well that isn't sufficient. The scan takes place independent of the app store app. And because it's not clear when the scan (or scans) take place there is no guarantee even Little Snitch can stop it. And besides I'm sure the OS can get around LS if it wants too.

Now before this turns into yet another one of those long threads about "it spys, it doesn't spy". Please google for the other debates on this subject. I've said all I am going to say on it. Call me paranoid if you wish but that's my opinion of this "spying thing".

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Answer 10

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Dec 12, 2011 8:02 PM in response to Allan Eckert

I don't really know what the store does and doesn't do, but these threads got me a bit concerned (and I admit I haven't read all 29 or 20 pages) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2711208?threadID=2711208&tstart=0 and https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2710921

I have seen the expression "call home" in relation to what the store does in checking back to Apple??

May just be a case of a little knowledge not being knowledge enough...

Mrs H

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Answer 11

Rysz

Level 8

44,391 points

Dec 12, 2011 8:08 PM in response to X423424X

"Call me paranoid if you wish..."

OK. You're paranoid.

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Answer 12

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Dec 12, 2011 8:10 PM in response to Rysz

Even paranoid people have at least 1 real enemy ...

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Answer 13

Dec 13, 2011 4:22 AM in response to X423424X

Quite so, X.

Tried 10.6.6 on the MacBook when first released (I always use that as the guinea pig).

Wasn't at all happy with what it was doing and reverted the system to 10.6.5

I don't allow any apps to 'phone home'. Other than Software Update, which I run manually at my convenience.

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Answer 14

WZZZ

Level 6

13,220 points

Dec 13, 2011 6:03 AM in response to X423424X

X4 wrote:

And because it's not clear when the scan (or scans) take place there is no guarantee even Little Snitch can stop it. And besides I'm sure the OS can get around LS if it wants too.

Ultimately, I can't comment on the OS getting around Little Snitch or not, but, FWIW, LS starts up quite early in the boot process, four seconds after launchd and well before login.

Filtering for "storeagent" and "appstore" in system.log, I come up completely empty handed. The only time I'm seeing storeagent is when I go to App Store from the Apple Menu. Then, I get a "can't connect" message, and only then do I see a useless "port created" entry in Console, along with some related errors. Of course, Apple could somehow prevent Console from registering the launch of storeagent, or it could be connecting through some hidden, "cloaked" process -- but I don't see why Apple would have gone to all this trouble (call it Trojan-like or back-door behavior) for a relatively tiny group of Little Snitch users. I'm reasonably confident Little Snitch is choking off storeagent before it can phone home, even if the App Store scans at boot.

Message was edited by: WZZZ

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Answer 15

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Dec 13, 2011 1:16 PM in response to WZZZ

Ultimately, I can't comment on the OS getting around Little Snitch or not, but, FWIW, LS starts up quite early in the boot process, four seconds after launchd and well before login.

Yes, I see lsd always has a low pid so it is launching pretty early. This is somewhat tangential to this conversation, but I'm curious how you came up with the "four seconds".

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