Rationale for Repairing Disk Permissions

Question

I repair permissions before and after installations, and I suggest others to do so. However, I have read in some threads in Discussions there there is no technical basis for repairing disk permissions before installation, and that only repairing after installation is necessary.
I realize that there are different opinions about this, but beyond opinions is there a technical basis or rationale for repairing disk permissions before installations?
Thanks.
cornelius
Message was edited by: cornelius

Answer 1

Hi cornelius,
Here is some reading about this topic. Mind that Apple DOES recommend repairing permissions as routine maintenance (see links at the bottom)! My suggestion to Repair permissions before and after an update has a very simple rational: If you forgot to repair permissions AFTER the last update you might get into trouble. Therefore it is safe and costs only a few seconds to do it before and after the update.
mac.column.ted: Unravelling the Repair Disk Permissions controversy
"Ted Landau
May 2006
Repairing Disk Permissions. Not exactly a topic that you would expect to spark much controversy. Yet, surprisingly, it is the focal point of a rather heated debate.
The command itself is innocuous enough. It is included as part of the First Aid component of Disk Utility. Apple's Help for Disk Utility states: "User permissions associated with files, folders, or applications can become damaged and prevent a file or application from opening. Permissions problems can also cause your computer to run slowly. Using Disk Utility, you may be able to fix these permissions problems...Repairing permissions may also be recommended after updating the system or installing new software."
Consistent with this, many users and Web sites (including MacFixIt and at least some postings on MacinTouch) recommend the use of Repair Disk Permissions, not only for specific signs of trouble, but as a part of generic troubleshooting and ongoing maintenance for your Mac.
In contrast, other members of the Mac community (writing in locations such as the Daring Fireball , Unsanity, and the MDJ) argue that running this command just for maintenance, in the absence of any particular symptom, is essentially worthless. Some critics go even further and claim there is no justification for ever selecting to repair permissions. Not only is it useless, they contend, but it may even cause new problems to appear. This viewpoint is often expressed with inflammatory rhetoric such as "covering yourself in Vaseline and rolling around naked in the dirt and repairing permissions are just as likely to fix your Mac OS X problem" (Unsanity).
Regardless of who's right or wrong, I don't believe that insulting users is merited here, especially when these users are simply following advice suggested by Apple itself. As it turns out, I also do not agree with the position of these critics. So, although I may be stepping into a minefield, here's my own take on this subject and my resulting recommendations. [Disclaimer: I was not involved in the authorship of previous MacFixIt articles on this subject. This column is my separate opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the views of MacFixIt.]: Continued"
Mac OS X 10.3 Help: "It's a good idea to repair disk permissions as a regular maintenance task after upgrading or installing new software."
Mac OS X 10.4 Help: "It's a good idea to repair disk permissions as a regular maintenance task after upgrading or installing new software."
Randy B. Singer: Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance