[Xdreams] Software Update that WORKS

[Michael Winter]

On Jan 3, 2005, at 9:12 AM, Bill Planey wrote:

> A truly functional SU would actually scan the system to see what the 
> current
> live system has or needs to have.  I believe the current SU looks to 
> the
> packages that are stored somewhere in the Library and these packages 
> are
> somehow only the ones that SU has handled.
>
> Apple should either make its own installers place the markers 
> (packages)
> that SU looks for during their process, or have SU survey the system 
> itself.

It does all this already. See 
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25799> which states in 
part,

" The sizes of software updates can vary for computers running Mac OS X 
10.3.4 or later. This is a feature of Software Update, which 
automatically detects the best update for your computer.

  Sometimes, Software Update preferences is able to offer a 
"smaller-sized Delta" update than you might expect, or smaller than 
what you might see on other computers installing the same update. The 
"smaller Delta" updates are offered when some Mac OS X system files can 
be modified instead of replaced in their entirety. See "Why are some 
computers not offered a smaller update?" below for more information."

You might also want to check out 
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25768> which is titled 
"Receipts can affect what appears in Software Update".