So… this morning I had a thought. It was actually a recurring thought, as I'd considered it before, but just really didn't think it out as far. But then I read this article
https://duo.com/blog/the-apple-of-your-efi-mac-firmware-security-research liked to from
https://eclecticlight.co/2017/10/04/which-efi-firmware-should-your-mac-be-using/
From experiences with iOS jailbreaking, I've known that versions of the firmware of embedded components differing from what Apple's OS code "expects" (they expect the code that OS came with, of course!) can be problematic. Some time ago, the thought crossed my mind that Macs also have an exceedingly long list of embedded components, each with its own firmware, and I have never seen a list of that… much less an exhaustive list, detailed by Mac model and version numbers. But working on this forum and on the 10.12 Sierra Unsupported forum for the past year or so, I have wondered more and more about how various sporadic "bugs" and wonky behavior might be impacted by embedded component firmware. Things like the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EFI, even the iSight camera! all have their own embedded firmwares that get updated.
Take for example my MacBookPro5,5. The last macOS version it ran prior to my installing 10.12 using
@dosdude1's tool was 10.9.5. It has
never seen or had installed 10.10 or 10.11. And, if my recollection is correct, not only does
@dosdude1's tool fool the updater into thinking it is OK to install onto a macbookpro5,5, it is unlikely that the 10.12 and 10.13 updaters
include any necessary firmware updates for the hardware embedded in my Mac! That means that –IF– 10.10 or 10.11
did include firmware updates applicable to my hardware, my Mac isn't running those firmware versions. I'm guessing—just on my own humble experience with several hundred installed Macs (mine, friends', clients' for which I am responsible)—given how not-so-great 10.10 and 10.11 were UX-wise, that this is probably a likely scenario for a LOT of users running unsupported Macs. My standing advice to my clients has been to avoid 10.10 and 10.11, and many are still on 10.9.5… some are getting Sierra and High Sierra now, but usually (thanks to the unrelenting passage of time and Apple's slow bug-fixing AND slow new-model-release schedule) by new hardware rather than upgrading.
Which has left me wondering… should I maybe take a spare hard drive and some spare time and install 10.10 and then 10.11 just to grab any/all firmware updates those OSes have to offer? Should this perhaps be a "one more thing!" troubleshooting step for some of the users on these forums who have been reporting weirdities like keyboard and display backlighting problems that have no clear cause? (Might could just install 10.11, I'm guessing firmware updates are
encompassing, not "combos"; which would save the time. Also, I'm guessing most firmware updaters would update but not downgrade firmware; so once a Mac has been "touched" by 10.11, even going back to 10.9.5 wouldn't see the various firmwares go back to previous versions… which could lead to odd backwards-compatibility issues as well.)
Thoughts?
Additionally, going back to my thought of a site where all of the various firmware/updater version information would/could/should be compiled… does anyone have thoughts about what the best way would be to GET that information? Is there a command-line tool that spits all that out?
(Yeah, I know, I'm kinda doing some "lazy internet" here… I'm more "expert" than that question, I could figure it out if I put some thought/time to it: lspci… ioreg… system_profiler… lshw… just looking for a quick-jump-start, friends.
)
