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From: Graley on 16 Jun 2010 22:47
I have a MacPro with 10.6.3, Download to 10.6.4 is 300+ MB.

My partner has a Mac Book, also with OS 10.6.3. her download is 800+ MB.

Why is this so ?

From: Elijah Baley on 16 Jun 2010 23:35
In article <4c198cb2$0$1026$afc38c87(a)news.optusnet.com.au>,
Graley <OMIT.email(a)grabev.net> wrote:

> I have a MacPro with 10.6.3, Download to 10.6.4 is 300+ MB.
>
> My partner has a Mac Book, also with OS 10.6.3. her download is 800+ MB.
>
> Why is this so ?

The 300+MB download is known as a delta update. It will only update
machines already running 10.6.3. The 800+ download is called the Combo
update and will update a machine running any previous version of OS X
10.0 and greater. If your partner was offered the Combo update via the
Software Update application then her machine is hosed in some way. Most
people download the Combo updater independently and apply it manually
for additional chances of success. The Combo updater tends to fix
problems that have not yet manifested themselves as it reapplies every
change since the initial release of Snow Leopard.

Personally I always download the Combo updater and apply it on my own
system. Never have an issue.

--
"Momma always said, "Stupid is as stupid does."" -Forest Gump

"You can't fix stupid." -Jim White, local radio personality
From: David Empson on 17 Jun 2010 03:00
Elijah Baley <lije(a)foundation.org> wrote:

> In article <4c198cb2$0$1026$afc38c87(a)news.optusnet.com.au>,
> Graley <OMIT.email(a)grabev.net> wrote:
>
> > I have a MacPro with 10.6.3, Download to 10.6.4 is 300+ MB.
> >
> > My partner has a Mac Book, also with OS 10.6.3. her download is 800+ MB.
> >
> > Why is this so ?
>
> The 300+MB download is known as a delta update.

Actually, that isn't the delta update. The delta update is the one you
can download manually from Apple's software downloads page, and it is
607 MB for 10.6.4.

Software Update normally offers an even smaller "patch" update, which it
can only do if your system is running one minor version behind the new
release (10.6.3 in this case), a few random files it checks match what
it expects, and all other relevant updates have been applied (probably
including Security Update 2010-003 in this case).

The patch update works by replacing portions of files in the system,
while the delta and combo updates replace entire files.

When there are new computer models released with a particular version of
Mac OS X, they usually have a customized build of that version, and
require a different set of patches to bring them up to the next version.

This may result in Software Update reporting different sizes for
recently released Mac models than for older models which are running the
same nominal version (but a different build).

In this case, the Mid 2010 MacBook Pro, MacBook and Mac Mini models came
with custom builds of 10.6.3, so Apple will need to supply four variants
of the patch update via Software Update (which is picked automatically
according to which build of 10.6.3 you have).

The delta and combo updates (which can be downloaded manually) usually
support all the build variants.

In the case of the Mid 2010 Mac Mini, it was released so close to 10.6.4
that Apple didn't include it in the main delta and combo updates. There
is a separate 10.6.4 delta update just for that model. There may be a
smaller patch update for the Mid 2010 Mac Mini via Software Update, but
someone would need to report on that before we know.

> It will only update machines already running 10.6.3. The 800+ download is
> called the Combo update and will update a machine running any previous
> version of OS X 10.0 and greater.

That last bit should say 10.6.0 and greater (and it actually only works
on 10.6.0 through 10.6.4 - you can't downgrade to an earlier version).

> If your partner was offered the Combo update via the Software Update
> application then her machine is hosed in some way.

Something failed the test for the patch update, possibly just not having
installed Security Update 2010-003. The fallback position for Software
Update is probably the combo update, rather than offering the 607 MB
delta update.

> Most people download the Combo updater independently and apply it manually
> for additional chances of success. The Combo updater tends to fix problems
> that have not yet manifested themselves as it reapplies every change since
> the initial release of Snow Leopard.
>
> Personally I always download the Combo updater and apply it on my own
> system. Never have an issue.

Agreed.

I download the combo update because I want to install it on several
computers and not have to do multiple big downloads, and so that I have
it handy should I ever need to reinstall it.

--
David Empson
dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
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