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newcomer · Jul 8, 2003, 03:25 PM

Here's the deal:

I want to upgrade to iCal 1.0.2 - because my iCal (1.0) will not remember window positions and it ALWAYS springs up off centre, no matter how much i reposition it.

Apparently 1.0.2 fixes this. However the 1.0.2 upgrade requires OS 10.2.2 and I am running OS 10.2.1.

They will have broadband on Mars before I get it in my neck of the woods. How is a 56k modem user supposed to endure an 80MB download to upgrade OS X.

Why don't they stick th upgrades on cover CDs or why can't you go into a reseller and get the upgrade on disk, even for a token fee?

This riles me. It is discrimination against us poor souls dependent on slow old internet connections.

Plus how am i to keep track of these constant OS X revisions? i hear that some of the new updates demolish iBook battery power

The Placid Casual · Jul 8, 2003, 04:33 PM

First off, Apple won't release anything which permanently trashes iBook batteries... or anything else for that matter...

Yes, there are sometimes temporary glitches and stuff with new 'point' releases, but if you have a machine you use a lot, I would never recommend installing any OS update without reading what it has done to other peoples machines first... You would be very foolish to update 'blind'.

If a release is problematic, just don't install it until a fixed version is released. No stress, no problem, no issue.

As for the large downloads, hmm, I agree as a 56k user (temporarily thank god), that the situation isn't ideal. My ISP has a 2 hour cut off as well so it is even more difficult for me...

However why not just download a copy of 'Speed Download' from www.versiontracker.com or 'google' for it, and either run it in the back ground, or run it over night? It automatically segments long downloads so you can download ultra large files over days, or even weeks if you want to...

I usually run it overnight, and have the modem reconnect when I get cut off... It is a great app, and although the solution is not elegant, it works like a dream.

As for putting updates on the front of magazines etc... well, it may be an option, but after the Jaguar update CD issues, when a 'hack' was released that allowed a 'complete install' of Jag instead of an 'update', Apple are being very careful. I guess this is their right.

As for 'constant' OS revisions... Um, there haven't been that many at all! We are currently only on 6 in over a year! The previous 'Classic' OS had just as many, if not more, so this is not an OS X only thing... All you have to do is run 'Software update' once a week, and you know where you are... I really can't see this being an issue.

If you want to see a real mess of OS revisions and downloads, check out the Windows XP update screen!

They are released seemingly daily, and there are literally scores of them!

I know the situation isn't ideal, but if you look at it even handedly, it could be a lot, lot worse... I am also sure that 'Speed Download' would prove very useful to you.

Peace,

Marc

iamnid · Jul 8, 2003, 05:06 PM

As for putting updates on the front of magazines etc... well, it may be an option, but after the Jaguar update CD issues, when a 'hack' was released that allowed a 'complete install' of Jag instead of an 'update', Apple are being very careful. I guess this is their right.

Marc [/B]

Actually it was "Puma (OS X.1)," not Jaguar that was on that disc.

Also, I was at an apple store the other day and they have free OS X update discs near the cash register. I don't know if that helps you as you might not be near an apple store. You might be able to get someone to pick one up for you and mail it to you though... or maybe you have somewhere you can go with broadband and burn it to a disc -- a library perhaps.

klinux · Jul 8, 2003, 07:40 PM

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
First off, Apple won't release anything which permanently trashes iBook batteries... or anything else for that matter...

I wouldn't say that. 10.2.4 killed my 10 month old iBook's battery and I had to get a replacement from Apple.

rytc · Jul 8, 2003, 10:33 PM

Apple Resellers often have updates that they'll burn to a CD for you, I've done it many a time, give one near you a try (and I'm not talking about "Apple Stores" - we don't have them). As far as big downloads well, that's life and computers - everytthing is getting bigger and bigger, call it a conspiracy between broadband sellers and OS manufacturers if you wish, but either way you're just going to have to lump it and live with it.

cuRy

icruise · Jul 9, 2003, 02:25 AM

Originally posted by klinux:
I wouldn't say that. 10.2.4 killed my 10 month old iBook's battery and I had to get a replacement from Apple.

How exactly does that happen? I can understand an update making battery life shorter or longer, but ruining a battery? Isn't it more likely that your battery was going to die anyway and you coincidentally upgraded just before it did?

newcomer · Jul 9, 2003, 03:51 AM

thanks for the advice dudes.

i'll be contacting my reseller and grabbing that app from versiontracker.

keep on rockin' in the mac world.

radarbob · Jul 9, 2003, 11:33 AM

Being one version (or more) behind is a good place to be.

...and it ALWAYS springs up off centre, no matter how much i reposition it.

Safari does that when it opens a new window. I just click the little + button and the window centers.

As for 'constant' OS revisions... Um, there haven't been that many at all!

I clearly recall a few years ago, Apple announced/committed to OS updates every 6 months. Looks like they're keeping to that.

billybob128 · Jul 9, 2003, 04:26 PM

hey newcomer i feel for you im in the same boat but worse i have no USEFULL apple store/retailer near me so when faults with my ibook came up they basically said f**k off but on the brighter side my school has a wicked fast connection (like 225mb/s one day) so i up date there dunno wat to do over the summer with large updates though

as for speeddownload i found it crap i hated it and needless to say for me it didnt do wat it said on the tin

Ry�kan · Jul 13, 2003, 11:34 AM

I've also got an iBook 500 (640 RAM), and Safari would always come up off-center. But the problem totally fixed itself after I ran DiskWarrior. (And I'm still using DiskWarrior that needs to be booted from OS 9.)

Another plug for DiskWarrior.

newcomer · Jul 24, 2003, 09:58 AM

Well, I finally got round to contacting an Apple reseller to get hold of the updates I needed.
A whole bunch of them on CD for �5 - reasonable enough I thought, since it saved me the headache of a painfully slow online update.

Now running OS x 10.2.6 - I am getting messages in Safari and Mail about "decrypting items in keychains" - anyone know what the heck that is all about?

Should I 'always allow' or 'allow once' or 'deny' - help!! Macs aren't supposed to do such PC-esque things as throw up confusing computer-speak messages!

The Placid Casual · Jul 24, 2003, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by newcomer:
Well, I finally got round to contacting an Apple reseller to get hold of the updates I needed.
A whole bunch of them on CD for �5 - reasonable enough I thought, since it saved me the headache of a painfully slow online update.

Now running OS x 10.2.6 - I am getting messages in Safari and Mail about "decrypting items in keychains" - anyone know what the heck that is all about?

Should I 'always allow' or 'allow once' or 'deny' - help!! Macs aren't supposed to do such PC-esque things as throw up confusing computer-speak messages!

If you click 'always allow', the message should go away...

The new version of Safari is just asking you if it is allowed to use the stored passwords and things accumulated from using the previous version. It sometimes happens after OS revisions and in apps such as Mail after an update.

Nothing to worry about.