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Timetheus · Mar 2, 2006, 07:20 PM

I apologize if this has already been posted - I couldn't get the search feature to work.

I'm just curious, what are our macs doing while "optimizing system performance" in every system installer?

This used to take my iMac DV like 5 minutes or more in 10.3 (My new MacBook Pro does it in less than 30 seconds, but hey).

imitchellg5 · Mar 2, 2006, 08:22 PM

It is verifying andrepairing disk permissions.

SSharon · Mar 2, 2006, 08:51 PM

I think I read around here once that it is defragging some files as well. You know the smaller than 20mb ones that it defrags automatically.

wataru · Mar 2, 2006, 08:55 PM

I don't think it's any of those things. It's updating the prebinding.

Brass · Mar 2, 2006, 09:07 PM

It's updating prebinding. You can do this anytime you like using the command line.

Apple says that this is no longer necessary in Tiger, so I have to wonder why they still do it.

Apfhex · Mar 2, 2006, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by Brass

Apple says that this is no longer necessary in Tiger, so I have to wonder why they still do it.

Maybe that's not what it's doing anymore, then? *shrugs*

BTW, what was changed in Tiger that negated the need for prebinding?

CharlesS · Mar 2, 2006, 09:47 PM

Prebinding was a retarded waste of time. It was ridiculous that OS X ever needed it in the first place. Fortunately, they fixed this situation with Tiger, so that the only things that are prebound are a few system libraries and frameworks. Incidentally, this is why the prebinding step always goes so much faster in Tiger than it did in Panther.

Oh and yeah, it's not doing any defragging or repairing permissions.

Dog Like Nature · Mar 3, 2006, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Prebinding was a retarded waste of time. It was ridiculous that OS X ever needed it in the first place.

While I agree with your sentiments, I don't think it was ever needed as such.

CharlesS · Mar 3, 2006, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Dog Like Nature

While I agree with your sentiments, I don't think it was ever needed as such.

True - the system would work without it - applications would just launch more slowly. However, the fact that applications launched slowly in the initial releases of OS X was a problem - prebinding was needed to make it more tolerable. A far better solution would be to speed up the binding system in the first place, which seems to be what has been done in Tiger.

BWhaler · Mar 5, 2006, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

It is verifying andrepairing disk permissions.

Wrong.

It is updating the pre-binding.

sc_markt · Mar 5, 2006, 09:18 PM

So how does one manually "optimize system performance" on their computer?

Brass · 06:08 PM

at the risk of sounding like a unix geek...

man update_prebinding

(ie, see the manual page, using Terminal.app, for the command "update_prebinding")

Tyler McAdams · Mar 6, 2006, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by sc_markt

So how does one manually "optimize system performance" on their computer?

The xupport app supports redoing the "optimize system performancee" feature. Google it.

(I was wondering what was going on too. It almost made me think that you were downloading source files that were getting complied for your particular cpu during the "optimizing system performance" part of the install.)

kick52 · Mar 11, 2006, 02:26 AM

get onyx.

google it.

imitchellg5 · Mar 11, 2006, 09:55 PM

Macworld says it is repairing disk permissions. I don't really think it is though.

Dog Like Nature · Mar 13, 2006, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Macworld says it is repairing disk permissions.

If that's what they say, they're incorrect.

I don't really think it is though.

Healthy skepticism! You can even see [FONT="Courier New"]update_prebinding[/FONT] appear in Activity Monitor if you're really paying attention!