I know HN will see this as Apple further locking down the platform, but it's also plausible that they just want to reduce the number of ways the OS can be installed and upgraded.<p>Software updates delivered through the automatic updater are listed in an XML catalog file that anyone can parse to get the URL where the actual update package is hosted. The packages usually use the platform standard .pkg installer format.<p>(Note that the update check does not send information about your system to Apple.)<p>Apple still provides the `softwareupdate` command line tool to list, download, and apply updates and even whole OS installers of the last 4 years of releases. The OS installers contain tools that can produce bootable install media if you want to archive them.<p>Apple has also provided tools to mirror software updates on your own infrastructure---see the "Content Caching" option in the Sharing prefpane, for example. Not sure what the state of this is today.<p>I think the linked article makes good arguments for why it may be premature to discontinue the standalone updates. And I am critical of how difficult it is to obtain OS installers for older hardware and VMs. But it's not the end of macOS as a developer platform.
Confused. Just run software update, and when the install starts, exit it. Look in the /Applications folder and the installer is there.<p>Run:<p>sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume<p>Here is the support link:<p><a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372" rel="nofollow">https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372</a><p>I just did it and it works just fine.<p>UPDATE - I missed the fact it was the point release updates for some reason. Sorry. Leaving post as it is helpful for those that want to make a boot USB.
I used the Catalina point-release updaters on Tuesday!<p>I needed to run Migration Assistant to copy files from a Mac Mini with 10.15.7 to another Mac Mini, originally with 10.11.<p>Time Machine couldn't restore. The APFS drive wouldn't mount. Carbon Copy Cloner couldn't clone the drive either. I started to dd, but realised it wouldn't update the BootROM. I made a Catalina installer with createinstallmedia, to install 10.15.<p>Migration Assistant still failed to copy over the keychain, because I'd installed 10.15.3 or something on the destination, instead of 10.15.7 (the source Mac Mini). Most files worked, but without the keychain, many passwords and software licence keys weren't available.<p>I needed the standalone updaters to make both computer run 10.15.7, so I could run Migration Assistant and get the files over (finally!)<p>It would be a big problem if Apple stop making these available.
Totally off-topic, but I recently made a super-simple OS installation for Raspberry Pi 4, based on archlinux and contaning only a Weston desktop, virtual terminal, and HW-accelerated browser (H264, WebGL etc). I immediately got hooked on that extremely simplyness & quickness!<p>It was one-off project for dedicated purpose, not a desktop replacement, but I will probably build another one and see if it's any usable as an actual workstation, because I merely need anything else than browser & terminals. (Well, probably also a dedicated headless server running docker for heavier stuff.)<p>(Context: I've been a die-hard Mac user since 2006, when I ditched Linux desktop, which I had used exclusively since 1998.)
One more step towards making a unified OS for both desktop and mobile. There hasn't been a single MacOS update that hasn't inched ever closer to this obvious eventual goal. One day you won't access actual files, they will be some abstract thing that can only be accessed via authenticated APIs. No "Apple account" -> no ability to use your device.
Windows did it long time ago anyway.<p>The iso downloader you can find on windows site is actually a assembler that assemble the iso on your disk from files on mincrosft server.<p>And the windows update also use the same server except it uses a different file list.<p>So it is no really surprise that apple also do that. It is more surprise that apple didn't do it until now.
flashback to installing xcode circa ios 13<p>I had to install an old xcode version, grab a folder, install new xcode, and paste the folder in<p>took a few tries to understand this, so it's a day + 20GB of downloads later before I had a working build<p>this was caused by a weird race condition between ios + swift versions and is probably not typical, but my takeaway was that having users who <i>must</i> use your stuff sorely tempts companies to ship crappy software
Just another screw you from Apple for anyone with low bandwidth that has to update a lot of computers. Its bad enough it has noticeable delays in running programs because of their security and now this.
I’ve got a bricked 2008 Mac mini. Still runs perfectly fine but I can’t seem to get the os updated. They say they don’t support it? And you can’t seem to access websites with a browser that old and I can’t seem to install a new browser on that old of an Os.<p>I can’t even get linux to install. It won’t seem to boot to a usb.
I've got a Mac laptop that refuses to update to Catalina via the app store. It starts downloading and just fails along the way somewhere. Presumably in the downloading stages. I'd suuuure like to be able to download the Catalina installer manually to eliminate network as a dependency. Likewise for all the following incremental updates.
So how it feels now, Mr. Apple apologist? Joke aside, I really hope Apple Developers to wake up and move away to other platforms. Apple is lost his touch and the only vision is summarised with one word: Control.