Software Update must die: Let's go on safari and kill it!

[Minghold]

Situation: variety of intel-era iMacs currently running mucho paid-for 32bit production software at blazing speeds (i.e., Mojave from HFS+ partitions with MRT, Spotlight, notifications, and other annoying bits disabled). For obvious reasons, we cannot have these machines "upgrading", accidentally or otherwise.

Desired result: manual attempts to update the OS by going to either AppStore or About This Mac > Software Update must fail. Apple makes it very easy to click these buttons because it is trying very hard to force-obsolesce your paid-for hardware and software.

(Note: This is not a request for info on how to disable automatic updates (as that's already been taken care of), or how to disable notifications of updates (ditto). Additionally, I am not looking to lock or encrypt drives, or run revert/sandbox software.)

Tool of choice: Radio Silence, Lulu, Hands-Off, or other outbound-traffic blocker. (I like Radio Silence, as it's my kind of single-purpose utility that silently works in the background without constant irritating notifications.)

Problem: adding all of AppStore, Software Preferences, and Software Update (hidden Library/CoreServices) into Radio Silence does not prevent the unwanted offering of MacOS Catalina (or other OS) as a downloadable update in the instance of a user manually running Software Update. --It would seem that I am missing a hidden item or two somewhere. Suggestions?

 

[aj_niner]

0-11 year old Macs make up over 19 of 20 actively used Macs.

 

[bogdanw]

As Mojave doesn’t receive updates anymore, wouldn't be easier to disable the Software Update launch agents/daemons?

I don’t have access to Mojave right now, but I think this should do it:

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.softwareupdate_notify_agent.plist

 

[Bigwaff]

Install a profile which disables the buttons?

GitHub - ProfileCreator/ProfileCreator: macOS app to create standard or customized configuration profiles.

macOS app to create standard or customized configuration profiles. - ProfileCreator/ProfileCreator

github.com

Use configuration profiles to standardize settings on Mac computers

Standardize settings for Mac computers. As an administrator, you might need to establish settings for Mail accounts, Wi-Fi, and VPN.

support.apple.com

 

[Minghold]

0-11 year old Macs make up over 19 of 20 actively used Macs.

What's that got to do with resolving the request in my OP?

As Mojave doesn’t receive updates anymore, wouldn't be easier to disable the Software Update launch agents/daemons?

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.softwareupdate_notify_agent.plist

This is cumbersome, and I suspect would be whisked away at any point a Command-Option-PR resets accumulated Terminal tweaks to default. (This is why I'd rather stick to identifying the culprit widget and chucking it into Radio Silence.)

Install a profile which disables the buttons?

GitHub - ProfileCreator/ProfileCreator: macOS app to create standard or customized configuration profiles.

macOS app to create standard or customized configuration profiles. - ProfileCreator/ProfileCreator

github.com

Use configuration profiles to standardize settings on Mac computers

Standardize settings for Mac computers. As an administrator, you might need to establish settings for Mail accounts, Wi-Fi, and VPN.

support.apple.com

In other words, amplify my work-load exponentially. No thanks. Much, much more ideal: Identify the offending system widget and strangle its ability to go to the internet by throwing it into Radio Silence. So, what's the name of the offending widget? --That's the animal we're hunting on this safari. (I doubt that the name/location of the offending widget has changed over the course of El Capitan/High Sierra/Mojave/Catalina, as the About This Mac > Software Update popup-window look & feel of the OS didn't change during the period.)

 

[bogdanw]

This is cumbersome, and I suspect would be whisked away at any point a Command-Option-PR resets accumulated Terminal tweaks to default. (This is why I'd rather stick to identifying the culprit widget and chucking it into Radio Silence.)

No, Command-Option-PR doesn't afect launchctl settings. More, you can move/delete the plist files
https://gist.github.com/b0gdanw/b6fe449407465ddd6f2a657d71e1345c

 

[Minghold]

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

sudo launchctl unload -wF /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.softwareupdate_notify_agent.plist

OK, this seems to be doing the job, and the setting even survived a Carbon Copy Clone to a different machine. Thanks. (I assume changing "unload" to "load" reverses the procedure.)

 

[Bigwaff]

OK, this seems to be doing the job, and the setting even survived a Carbon Copy Clone to a different machine. Thanks. (I assume changing "unload" to "load" reverses the procedure.)

So this survives restarts?

 

[Minghold]

So this survives restarts?

Yes. Meaning: I can now idiot-proof all my Mojave/HFS+(MacOS Extended-journaled) installations running on 2012-2020 Macs, and clone to replacement machines as needed.