Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!


Click here to return to the '10.5: Reinstall Java on Leopard' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
10.5: Reinstall Java on Leopard
Authored by: MacTripper on May 18, '09 08:25:38AM

Look, I know it tests one's geeky skills to be able to reinstall Java on OS X. That's cool and all if your into that, most can't do that.

Apple has gifted us with "Time Machine" although a great concept, it makes it easy for one to automatically backup their data, it does nothing to solve a problem like the one in the article.

Rather the easiest way to reinstall Java on OS X (and anything else that might arise for that matter, like a hard drive crash) is simply to clone one's boot drive at regular intervals. (carbon copy cloner or super duper, no compensation for mention)

Now Apple has totally shunned this method in their "Time Machine" concept, it could have been added as a "Advanced Feature" hidden in some sub-menu someplace to avoid confusion (or only appears when option booting for instance), but would have saved the day in this instance.

"Time Machine" applied to OS X itself, with option boot abilities, would have allowed the "Java" problem to be easily remedied. Just option boot to the "Time Machine" drive and go back to a previous OS X install, then Software update from there.

Data is preserved, OS X is restored to a previous state.

Heck, even Microsoft has some sort of OS restore method, although that really doesn't help being on the same drive and with all the malware they experience.

Apple needs to apply the "Time Machine" concept to the OS, to protect against software failure, exploitation and hard drive failure.





[ Reply to This | # ]
10.5: Reinstall Java on Leopard
Authored by: SuperCrisp on May 18, '09 08:41:20AM

Of course you're right. In a perfect world this would be the case. But since most users don't even back up, I doubt an improvement to Time Machine would help.



[ Reply to This | # ]
10.5: Reinstall Java on Leopard
Authored by: MacTripper on May 18, '09 09:16:44AM

<i>Of course you're right. In a perfect world this would be the case. But since most users don't even back up, I doubt an improvement to Time Machine would help.</i>

People don't backup because sellers don't inform people of the possibility of failure with their new machines.

If you try to inform them, customers think your trying to pitch them to buy something more than they already have or worse think there is something wrong with the machine they are about to buy.

Apple should package a 'user friendly' option bootable Time Machine (with OS X previous version ability) drive with all new machines. Especially consumer models.

It would only add about $80 to the price. Naturally a opt out for those who already have a backup solution.

But this way every computer newbie will have a automated backup solution and get into the backup habit, not learning after a failure occurs.

A top down solution instead of a bottom up one.




[ Reply to This | # ]
10.5: Reinstall Java on Leopard
Authored by: asmeurer on May 18, '09 01:08:44PM

If you ever buy a Mac from an Apple store, the salespeople will always suggest that you buy a hard drive from them. All the user has to do is plug the drive in to make Time Machine work. Making it bootable would be a nice feature for a future OS release (Snow Leopard?). I think that the Apple online store also has external hard drives listed as one of the 'accessories" that it suggests that you buy after you are done purchasing a new Mac. On the other hand, you have a point. Companies either have to admit that their product will likely fail or convince consumers that they will likely accidentally do something they didn't want to do, such as deleting a file, to convince them that they need to backup. But that really should only be difficult for someone who has never used computers before.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Reinstalling from a Time Machine backup
Authored by: gidds on May 18, '09 01:30:18PM
I know it'd be cool if Time Machine backups were bootable.  But you can still use them even if your disk is completely hosed.  Just boot off the Mac OS X CD, and use that to restore the whole drive from any of the backups.  Presto!

It may take a while, so having a separate, bootable clone may be a giid idea too. But it does work; even to a new, freshly-formatted drive.  More details on various sites, such as this blog entry.

---
Andy/

[ Reply to This | # ]