I would say keeping permissions in order is good for any system, and will keep
things running smoothly. I really don't know that it's more necessary for us to
do it though. I have honestly never encountered a specific problem that got
fixed by running permission repair. If for whatever reason I feel like my
computer is running a bit slow I repair my permissions, but otherwise I don't
think it's something that will fix a problem like voiceover not behaving
properly.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 2, 2015, at 6:31 PM, Cheryl Homiak
<cah4110@xxxxxxxxxx<mailto:cah4110@xxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Many, many, Mac users, blind and sighted, don't know all they really should
know in order to keep their systems running smoothly so ignorance, even among
people who know other things, does not necessarily mean it isn't helpful even
for non-voiceover users. Whether it is more necessary for us or not, I do not
know but i do know that it is necessary for us at this point. If this is going
to be done in automated fashion from now on, that would be great! I am pasting
here an article from Apple about this. It explains about the role of package
receipts in the process. Basically it says that you repair permissions from an
installation disk through Leopard and after that, Snow leopard and later, you
can repair right on the version you are running. The modification date is in
2015 although Mavericks and yosemite are not mentioned. Also it says you don't
need to repair permissions prior to an install; most of us have experienced
that it is necessary to do this after an install.
This is going to continue to be an issue for quite a while. Some people are
still running Snow leopard and it is likely that people will continue to linger
in other releases, either out of necessity or choice, for quite a while before
either embracing or submitting to the "latest and greatest", depending on your
viewpoint :-)
About Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature
Disk Utility lets you verify and repair Mac OS X disks and permissions issues.
This article explains the Repair Disk Permissions feature of Disk Utility.
How does Disk Utility check file permissions?
Many things you install in Mac OS X are installed from package files (whose
filename extension is ".pkg"). Each time something is installed from a package
file, a "Bill of Materials" file (whose filename extension is ".bom") is stored
in the package's receipt file, which is kept in /Library/Receipts/ in Mac OS X
v10.5 and earlier. These files don't take up much disk space and you shouldn't
put them in the Trash<http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2023>. Each of those ".bom"
files contains a list of the files installed by that package, and the proper
permissions for each file.
In Mac OS X v10.5 or earlier, when you verify or repair disk permissions Disk
Utility reviews each of the .bom files in /Library/Receipts/ and compares its
list to the actual permissions on each file listed. If the permissions differ,
Disk Utility reports the difference (and corrects them if you use the Repair
feature).
Does Disk Utility check permissions on all files?
Files that aren't installed as part of an Apple-originated installer package
are not listed in a receipt and therefore are not checked. For example, if you
install an application using a non-Apple installer application, or by copying
it from a disk image, network volume, or other disk instead of installing it
via Installer, a receipt file isn't created. This is expected. Some
applications are designed to be installed in one of those ways.
Also, certain files whose permissions can be changed during normal usage
without affecting their function are intentionally not checked.
Tip: If you remove receipts from /Library/Receipts/, the files installed by
those packages cannot be verified or repaired, which is why you shouldn't
delete things from /Library/Receipts/ . See Disk Utility shows a "No Valid
Packages" alert<http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2023>.
Note: While started from an installation disc in Mac OS X v10.5 and later, a
user's home directory permissions can be reset using the "Reset Password"
utility.
Should I start up from a Mac OS X install disc to repair disk permissions?
This is not necessary because Disk Utility looks at the receipts on the volume
being checked.
Mac OS X v10.6 and OS X Lion:
* In Mac OS X v10.6.x and later, Disk Utility can verify/repair permissions
of the same Mac OS version it is running. For example, if you need to
verify/repair a Mac OS X v10.5.x disk, use a Mac OS X v10.5.x or earlier
installation disc.
* You don't need to repair disk permissions prior to installing Mac OS X
over a previously-installed OS. The installer will do this automatically.
*
--
Cheryl
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You, Lord,
my rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19:14 HCSB)
On Sep 2, 2015, at 11:03 AM, Ian Edwards
<ianedwards42@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:ianedwards42@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Sorry, deleted the thread with the article about repair permissions going away
because it won’t be needed in the future.
I’ve asked a couple of sighted Mac users, my wife and my son, and they had
never heard of repairing permissions, and therefore had never done it. I asked
someone who is pretty computer savvy and uses a Mac, he also had never heard of
it. This leaves me wondering a couple of things…
Is this more of an issue for Voiceover users, like is the performance
degradation more of an influence on processes using Voiceover?
How come this isn’t more widely known among Mac users?
All in all I’m hoping they automate this, like run the equivalant on every
re-boot or install of software.
Cheers,
Ian
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