Change install version of an OSX dmg file?

[Ionium]

There's a menu bar installer for OSX that will only install on 10.8.1 - how can I use the terminal to change the install version for it?

[PyX]

Sometimes developers embed an installer into another installer. The former one installs the application and the latter does some checking around your system.

 

Try to right click and "Show Package Contents" and click on the installer that is embedded in the package.

[protocol7]

For an installer there could be some scripts to check as well.

 

The easiest (and dirtiest) fix is to change /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist. This way your system will report itself as 10.8.1.

 

You can change it back afterwards.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

I always assumed that there was a reason they say that a program has a minimum requirement? Something like updated libraries in newer systems that an older system may not have?

I guess I'll have a play around with this over the weekend.

[PyX]

Sometimes,

 

  On 11/10/2013 at 12:11, Intrinsica said:

I always assumed that there was a reason they say that a program has a minimum requirement? Something like updated libraries in newer systems that an older system may not have?

I guess I'll have a play around with this over the weekend.

 

The reason can be as good as why a website cannot be displayed because it is not compatible with Safari.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

  On 11/10/2013 at 15:34, PyX said:

The reason can be as good as why a website cannot be displayed because it is not compatible with Safari.

But that's to do with how the browser renders the page, no? For applications I always assumed that they tried it on multiple versions of the OS to see where it would work and where it wouldn't. Then again, I can equally see how someone would design an application on their system, then take the route of saying, "I made it on this OS, so while it may work on others I'm not going to support you if you're trying to get it to work on an older OS."

It just never crossed my mind before that there would be a way to fool the installer in to thinking you had one OS when you have a different one. It's been a long week, obviously. :laugh:

Edit: Just to prove how long a week it has been, I've just been asked about a friend's wedding tomorrow that I had completely forgotten about. Whoops! :pinch:

[protocol7]

It probably only works if the systems are fairly close. Sometimes I think it's lazyness on the part of the developer who didn't tick the box to make it support the previous system version. But then I don't develop so that's just a guess.

 

Case in point is the Windows Phone app on the App Store. It requires 10.7 yet runs fine on 10.6.8. The plist trick I posted above will allow you to download it on a 10.6.8 system and then editing the app's info.plist file to change the minimum system version will allow it to run.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Menu bar stuff is tied to the system version, Apple doesn't allow applications to hook into the menubar so they have to hook into the system themselves.