Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems 10.7.1, Incremental or Combo Updaters?

When 10.7.1 is released, do the thems in the know, think it will be an incremental or combo updater (or both as we historically have had)?

If available, I suspect I'll try to get the Combo version, but only if my present settings, apps, preferences, etc. are retained.

Typically, I get updaters on day one, but this time I may venture in to new territory and actually use good judgement, reason, forethought…

Nah!

Won't 10.7.1 in fact be a Combo since there will be no "in betweens" to take into consideration?

The first updater will by definition be an incremental (delta 1) updater only. The second and following updaters can be either incremental (delta 2 through n) or combo (including both delta 1+2 etc. through n). In other words, you need more than one incremental updater to be able to combine them into a combo updater.

All that makes sense, sorta.

But can't there be just the pieces/fixes (increments) that turn 10.7 in to 10.7.1? Then, the 10.7.1 pieces/increment would be a much smaller file than if one needed to download the entire (new) OS.

That's in fact what happens: the incremental updater contains the minimum number of items necessary for the update. The total size depends on the number and size of items patched or replaced.

OK. Gottit. Finally!

But then, from 10.7.1 to 10.7.2 my original question (modified accordingly) is valid?

Yes, if the past is any guide, for 10.7.2 both an incremental and a Combo updater will be available.
Second, the OS updaters (of either type) won't touch your Home folder, and generally will leave your present settings, apps, preferences, etc. intact.

Possibly not. Apple is already seeding 10.7.2 to developers, even though 10.7.1 has not been released. This may mean that Apple plans to go straight from 10.7 to 10.7.2 without a 10.7.1. (This is rare, but sometimes happens if a significant issue is discovered in a .1 release after it has been finalized, or if a significant issue in .0 is identified and fixed after the .1 release is finalized but before it is let out the door.)

I don't recall seeing that. I do recall there being a "version 2" re-release of an updater a couple times however. I don't recall what it was offhand. 10.5.2 I think but that's a guess.

I completed the 10.7.1 Update yesterday by downloading the Client from Apple's Download page. The download was 83.1 MB.

It was reported that via SU, the download was 17+ MB, although others have said their download was higher - depending on the Mac being used.

So, I'm wondering if the Apple Download method provides sort of a "Combo" without it being labeled as such.

Well, the answer is out.....10.7.1 is an incremental update.

Installed this morning without issue.....from the Apple Support download site.....the disk image was 3.4 MB while the installer package contained therein expanded out to 61.8 MB......

EDIT: we simo-posted, you got there first while I was editing!

Apparently, there are no changes to the recovery partition, though I suppose at some point that will become necessary.

As for me, I have yet to notice improvements or new bugs. And as 10.7.2 seems to be Cloud centric, I guess the majority of the true bug fixes will be deferred to 10.7.3--if there are any, of course.

Why? the only purpose of the recovery partition is to get the os back to functional, not up to date. you can download the combo after you can boot up again.

I agree. The RP is only to be able to download the initial 10.7 and reinstall, or use Time Machine to do that. It is like you had an original disk.

OK, I was just thinking it would be advantageous in those cases where the base system needed fixing or obviating the need to run Combo installer, i.e., when (only) what needed doing was running Disk Utilities.

Me thinks I'll go back to working on the Unified Field Theory, or something easy.

Apple says you must have an internet connection to reinstall Lion. Well, to be precise, they say:but presumable that ethernet or wi-fi network would have to be one that leads to the internet.

I don't know how serious they are about that, but I do know that when I reinstalled from a saved copy of "Install Mac OS X Lion.app", which should be at least as self-contained as the Recovery HD, it still told me it was "downloading additional components". I obviously couldn't snapshot the message at that time, so I'm not sure of the exact wording, but it made me wonder if the installer would always auto-update to the latest version of Lion every time.

When I did this, 10.7.1 wasn't out yet, so the "additional components" were still part of 10.7.0, and that's what was installed. I suppose the test would be to wipe a spare disk and try again, and see whether it installs 10.7.0 or 10.7.1. A complete test would test both "Install Mac OS X Lion.app" and Recovery HD, which might do different things.