OS X Updates: Software Update vs. Combo Updater

Question

I had many problems after updating to OS 10.4.10, so I took my laptop to the local Apple Store. Interestingly, the Genius there said to USE the update from Software Update and NOT use the COMBO updater as most of use seem to do. His reasoning was, "When you use the combo updater, it erases and changes too many things in your system. If you use the Software Update Option, it will give you just what you need." It seems more people on these forums, recommend the opposite. Ideas?
Thanks.

Answer 1

mattn wrote:
Wildly bad reasoning. There are two different issues here, and your so-called Genius has confused them.
The argument "it changes too many things vs. it will give you just what you need" is arguing between using the DELTA updater and the COMBO updater. It has nothing to do with whether you use Software Update.
The issue there is whether to use Software Updater or to do the download and installation yourself. The latter is preferable, whether you do the delta or the combo. That's because with the latter, you can control what's running and what you're doing at the time of installation. Software Update can be run while you're doing all kinds of other stuff, and that is the usual cause of errors and failures and bad outcomes. If you download and install it yourself, you can do the installation while you are running no other apps (preferably in Safe mode) and get a nice clean installation.
It is possible for users to mess things up by running Software Update in the background, or by manually installing from the Combo while other stuff is running.
For very knowledgeable users, the Combo should be a good approach, maybe overkill, but it should be safe and it has the advantage of filling in additional things that might be amiss. However for more typical users who aren't as into these details (which includes the majority of "civilians" that I know), it is a whole lot easier to run Software Update than to go through a bunch of manual steps any number of which might be executed incorrectly by inexperienced people. That may be why the Genius was discouraging the manual Combo approach, which should work fine for experienced users -- but I would bet that the Genius service centers see more problems caused by users doing things themselves versus allowing the Apple tools (Software Update) figure out what to install. Another set of glitches can result from not installing things in the right order, and some people don't appreciate that certain system and security updates need to be installed in a specific order.
A typical user is my daughter's 15-yr old friend down the street who just got a new MacBook. She would have no idea about Combo Updates, when to do them, Safe Mode or any of that, but she can certainly understand quitting all programs and then hitting the software update button (or quitting all programs when an update pops up and offers itself).
An experienced power user will probably always be fine with the Combo approach, but I'd bet the vast majority of Mac consumers would be better up with Software Update (in fact 99% of them do use Software Update). An anecdotal point on this -- my employer has more than 4000 Macs in use by scientists and engineers working on the space program ... these Macs come from our IT dept pre-configured to run Software Update every Friday morning. I once asked them if they get more service calls on Fridays, they said they almost never get service calls for the Macs, on Fridays or any other days.