[GEEKY] Weakness in Mac OS X Software Update

Everyone loves how much easier Mac OS X makes it to install software. Well sort of. It's a place where new users easily get stumped. What the heck are those .dmg files anyway, and where's the installer? Well this post isn't about that. After all, it wouldn't count as [GEEKY] if that's all it did.

Being a neat freak, I have sub folders in my Applications folder, which as you know is the default place for software to be installed ("just copy the file, what could be easier?")

Turns out that for Apple supplied software, e.g. iPhoto and friends, the automagic software updater depends on finding them at the top level of Applications. If they aren't there, they don't get updated and you aren't alerted to available updates.

Mystery solved. So if for some reason you seem not to be getting an update you know is available, check whether you might have moved the application somewhere, hiding it from the [tag]Software Update…[/tag]