The current version of LockRattler, my free utility for checking that your Mac’s security data files are up to date, is several months old. It also has a rough edge: the spinning beachball cursor, which can confuse some users into thinking that it has hung, when it is waiting for responses from Apple’s software update servers. There have been a few requests for a new feature, enabling it to download and install only certain, specific updates, rather than everything available.

So here is a new version, the first beta-test release of 4.2, available from here: lockrattler421
and in Downloads above.

This new version:

• Spins the beachball much less often. When it can, it puts requests into the background while waiting for the response, and displays a ‘busy spinner’. This shouldn’t change its function, but you will probably prefer it to do this.
• Adds a fourth button to download and install updates. This only obtains and installs the update package which you name. If you get it to list available updates first, you can copy the package you want and paste it into the text box to download and install separately. This is a great help if you have some large updates pending, but don’t want to install them just yet.
• Has updated documentation and an updated Help book reflecting these changes.

I have tested this out on both Sierra and High Sierra, and it seems to work fine. It should also be fully compatible with El Capitan, but I have not been able to test it on that. I would therefore be particularly grateful for those using El Capitan to try it and report any problems here, please.

If you have any other requests for new or altered features in this version, now is the time to add them here as comments. I’d like to get this out as a final release fairly quickly, if possible.