Apple's description of UPDATES, UPGRADES & RAPID SECURITY RESPONSE releases

Once you understand what a release entails, you'll realize the truth.
Apple's full release support is (by far!) the shortest in the industry.

https://screenrant.com/apple-product-security-update-lifespan/
"The support document notes that only the latest releases provide full
protection from security vulnerabilities. "Because of dependency on
architecture and system changes to any current version of macOS (for
example, macOS 13), not all known security issues are addressed in previous
versions (for example, macOS 12)," the Apple document says. Essentially,
this means that the security updates Apple issues to older operating system
versions are not fully protected. Using that logic, the iOS 15.7.1 update
may leave security vulnerabilities unaddressed that have been patched in
the iOS 16.1 updates. This means that although Apple issues security
updates to older operating systems, users should only expect their devices
to be secure during the typical five to six-year software upgrade support
window."

https://hothardware.com/news/apple-admits-only-fully-patches-security-flaws-in-latest-os-releases
"Old versions of operating systems of Apple devices do not get complete
security patches. The emphasis in the document is that there is a
difference between Upgrade and Update, at least in the Apple lexicon."

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-security-update-policy-only-the-latest-oses-are-fully-patched/
"Despite providing security updates for multiple versions of macOS and iOS
at any given time, Apple says that only devices running the most recent
major operating system versions should expect to be fully protected.
Throughout the document, Apple uses "upgrade" to refer to major OS releases
that can add big new features and user interface changes and "update" to
refer to smaller but more frequently released patches that mostly fix bugs
and address security problems (though these can occasionally enable minor
feature additions or improvements as well). So updating from iOS 15 to iOS
16 or macOS 12 to macOS 13 is an upgrade. Updating from iOS 16.0 to 16.1 or
macOS 12.5 to 12.6 or 12.6.1 is an update. In other words, while Apple will
provide security-related updates for older versions of its operating
systems, only the most recent upgrades will receive updates for every
security problem Apple knows about."

Note that a release is more than a kernel.
A lot more.

Most people who "think" Apple releases are supported longer than, oh, say,
Windows or Android, are wrong because they don't understand how Windows and
Android releases their software. Mainly, neither is a monoslab like Apple.

Windows is supported for so many years, the machine will fall apart before
the support ends, and even then you get a free upgrade to the next version.

So is Android, although the support varies for Android from a mere five
years to much longer than that for the underlying components (which is why
the Apple people can't understand that Android is supported for over 10
years due to the fact that the _components_ are supported for that long).

The problem is Apple-only owners don't understand what a "release" entails.
It's not just the kernel. It's more than that. A _lot_ more than that.

Only was iOS a monoslab. No other operating system. Only iOS.

As a direct result of that monoslab, iOS is ten times more exploited.
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

But things are improving for chipping away at the Apple monoslab.

While Apple's iOS is _still_ mostly a monoslab (e.g., the messenger is a
key component integral with the monoslab only on iOS - and no other OS),
the new-to-iOS-16 abiltity for a "Rapid Security Response" is good news!

UPDATE monoslab vs UPGRADE monoslab vs RAPID SECURITY RESPONSE patch:
https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/about-software-updates-depc4c80847a/

RSR patches:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201224

UPGRADES:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222

Note that there is more to a release than just the bugfixes (e.g., Android
is updated every day over the Google Play Services update mechanisms), but
the bugfixes are important to be rolled out as soon as they possibly can.

Windows runs those bufixes every "patch tuesday" for example, not waiting
for a monoslab to be created (which would take three to six months to do).

Hence, I congratulate Apple for joining the rest of the world in adding
this new ability to reduce the monolithic slab a tiny bit, with the RSRs.

RSR: (only available in iOS 16 which is no longer a single monolithic slab)
RSR: (Only available in macOS 13 which never really was a single monoslab).

Apple's description of UPDATES, UPGRADES & RAPID SECURITY RESPONSE releases

On 2023-07-15 12:46, Scratch wrote:
> Apple's description of UPDATES, UPGRADES & RAPID SECURITY RESPONSE releases
>
> Once you understand...

....that this is just your latest posting nym, Arlen?

Yes: I'll understand that one should ignore it.

:-)

No UNIX OS is a "monoslab". AGAIN, you have no clue what you are
babbling about.

Give a rest, Arlen.