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Computer Update
(www.stickycomics.com)
macOS updates haven't cost money since 2009
But... They did?! (Never had a mac)
No, major OS releases used to cost money for a license. The same way a Windows 11 license costs money. Apple stopped charging for OS releases but Microsoft still does.
Every 10.x version of OS X cost money up through 10.6, just like how every version of Windows has cost money unless you use one of the keygens Microsoft doesn't care about.
I have a vague memory of spending $30 for an upgrade to MacOS more than a decade ago. Then Apple stopped charging for them. So, this comic is pretty off base, but people love to bitch, so what can you do.
Yeah, the last time they charged was Snow Leopard in 2009. Everything has all been free since. Snow Leopard was really a dream to use, though. If paying $30 would get us back to that kind of luxury, I would gladly pay for the privilege.
Oh God yes. I used a Mac for work back in the day and it seriously had everything it needed to get me to dump all other operating systems (it was basically Unix with a cohesive user interface), but they couldn't stop stepping on their own dicks at every turn.
First they charged constantly for minor updates by calling them major revisions. And then they would come out with software fixes to programs and call that a major update and force you to pay an upgrade fee... except that "new version" required the new OS. And once you paid to update the program and the Os, you would find that several other programs you needed no longer fucking worked because you were running a version of the os that the software didn't support when it was built (because it didn't exist yet). At that point you got to roll the dice and see if the company that made that software was still around and bothered to update their software.
I loved that it never suffered from bit-rot like MS, but once you got a work flow working on it you didn't dare ever change anything on that machine again.
They used to charge for the OS, which was changed/updated every year to a new version. I remember prices around 20-30, so it was stol cheaper than windows
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Linux update is more like… “uh oh, please don’t break anything, I just got my graphics drivers working last week.”
This take is based on a true story.
That is the same with nvidia drivers on windows nowadays. They keep pushing updates that just break shit.
When I got the latest kernel on my Arch laptop, the touchpad didn't work for a month (luckily it was fixed by installing the LTS kernel)
But I like to stay on the bleeding edge, otherwise I would have chosen Debian
That's true for any update though.
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Android apps:
The free features are now removed. Watch a video before you can send texts for a week.
Similar - this free app has now been acquired by a Chinese conglomerate and will soon have micro transactions and tracking added. Also for some reason it needs all permissions now to even function.
like spotify: "listen to this ad and get 30 min ad free :D"
but then show ads again after 1 song
Huh, never had to pay for a Mac update.
That's because Apple hasn't charged for OSX/MacOS updates since 2013 with OSX 10.9
Edit: I also don't think they were ever $99. I upgraded from 10.5 to 10.6 back in 2009 and I think it was only like $30, and they had to ship me a disc with the update so it's not like they didn't have any overhead they had to pay for
They were more expensive in the early 2000s.
See, for example, this MacRumors thread from 2003 entitled “Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. Why Is it still $129?”
Jaguar (10.2) was also $129 in 2002.
10.1 was free.
Going up from 2003,
- 10.4 Tiger was $129 in 2005
- 10.5 Leopard was $129 in 2007
- 10.6 Snow Leopard was $29 in 2009
- 10.7 Lion was $29 in 2011
- 10.8 Mountain Lion was $29 in 2012
- 10.9 Mavericks was a free update in 2013
I recall the same, also I think the disc worked for the whole family.
MacOS updates don't cost money. They're also completely optional (even security updates) and major OS versions introduce new features.
The comic is from 2011. The upgrade to OS X Lion, released that year, was paid originally and then made available for free.
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More like: Your battery is too old so we'll pre-bill you for your $99/year subscription for the privilage of installing this CPU-Throttle update that you cannot refuse to install, and battery replacement costs almost as much as a new device.
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Meh, a linux user: Nah. (there's a major version update I'll really have to do in the next month or two, but my setup has so many customizations that the update will probably break a couple of things that I'll have to set up again, and I've been really unmotivated to do that)
It's been years since I ran Linux as my DD, but the major updates seemed to break my setup pretty regularly. Audio, or USB, or sleeping when I closed the laptop lid.
I assume that isn't the case anymore.
It is amazing how much I dread new Windows features.
I mean, I was pretty optimistic for a long time. I loved the DRM/presentation changes and hardware scheduling. I like a new task manager or finishing half-finished settings menus or little security optimizations. This was even going into Windows 11.
Now...
I know they're not going to finish anything, like UWP or the settings menu they overhauled in Windows 8.
I know, in all likelihood, I'm not getting improvements to performance, presentation, latency, audio, resource utilization. No new filesystem or neat features...
We're getting bloatware. Or ads. Or tracking. Or broken Copilot in yet another orifice I don't want it in, and that's speaking as a fervent local ML runner.
And every time it updates, I know I have to check the programs, task manager, services, and purpose made debloating programs to see what crap I have to castrate next. It's unreal. No wonder folks are dumping it for Android/iOS.
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Linux update: .... click ... forget about it as it runs in the background
Windows update: ... why is my system running like molasses???? .... oh there's an update .... click .... now it's running even slower!!! ... I'm in the middle of something!!! ... I DON'T WANT TO SHUT DOWN!! ... WAIT FOR THE UPDATE TO INSTALL!!! ... How long is this going to take?????"
Mac update: ...... I wouldn't know, I've never owned a Mac because I could never afford one.
Haha, I just had a huge list of dependency errors with my Linux PC. I'll have to find 1 hour in my day today to figure out wtf is up this time.
Mac update: ......
It downloads in the background, and sends you a toast notification that it’s ready to install. It gives you the option of restarting “Now”, or it’ll do it “Later Tonight” when it determines you’re not using your computer.
So, exactly how Windows behaves? This entire meme is wrong for all three OSes and seems to just be designed to annoy everyone...
What? Someone on the internet trying to ragebait people with misinformation?
I’m shocked. Shocked I say. 😉
We need to find more ways to fund the lovely FOSS devs
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this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2025
167 points (87.4% liked)
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