macOS 15.2 breaks the ability to copy the OS to another drive

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Apple’s macOS 15.2 release reportedly breaks `asr restore`, the Apple-supplied tool third‑party apps like SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner rely on to create bootable system clones, leaving users unable to copy the OS to another drive. Commenters debate the reliability of Apple’s own Time Machine backups, the growing lock‑down of macOS (including stricter code-signing and boot controls), and the practical impact on disaster recovery for professionals who depend on fast, bootable backups. The thread broadens into comparisons with Linux and Windows, with many arguing that Apple’s security and integration choices increasingly trade away user control, flexibility, and software quality.

What broke in macOS 15.2 and why it matters

  • SuperDuper (and similar tools) relied on Apple’s asr restore --source “replicator” to clone the sealed macOS system volume and create bootable external drives.
  • In 15.2, asr now fails with “resource busy”, breaking third‑party bootable backup tools that call it. This appears to be a bug rather than a deliberate deprecation, but Apple hasn’t clearly communicated.
  • Workarounds suggested: use SuperDuper’s “Backup – all files” without copying the OS, rely on Time Machine, or in theory do block‑level dd cloning (with trade‑offs: size inflexibility, speed, and unknown Apple Silicon trust/signed-volume implications).

Bootable backups vs data-only backups

  • Many users consider bootable clones essential: fast recovery, ability to boot any similar Mac from an external drive, use of Target Disk Mode, and reduced downtime during repairs.
  • Others argue system-level backups are overrated: they reinstall a fresh OS, keep important data in a single directory or cloud, and only back up user files and configs.
  • Some raise the edge case where a system-level bug could damage both live and cloned systems; advocates counter that older clones let you roll back to pre-bug states.

Time Machine and backup reliability

  • Time Machine is described as everything from “pretty solid” to “dogshit”.
  • Reported problems: slow restores (many hours to days), fragile backups, confusing behavior when backups exceed target disk size, and cases where OS reinstall from TM is extremely painful.
  • One detailed story: Time Machine pulled in 800GB of OneDrive NAS data despite exclusions, making the backup larger than the Mac’s SSD and blocking straightforward restore.

Lock‑down, security model, and user control

  • Apple previously removed third‑party control over the OS volume in favor of a signed, unmodifiable system partition; defenders cite strong malware resistance and reliable factory-restore flows.
  • Critics see growing iOS‑style lock‑down: sealed system volume, T2/Apple Silicon boot restrictions, Gatekeeper and notarization friction, unsigned apps increasingly hard to run, and removal/obscuring of “open anyway” UI paths in recent macOS versions.
  • Broader concern: users “don’t really own” devices if they cannot fully back up, clone, or run arbitrary software.

Software quality and release cadence

  • Multiple comments describe macOS 15.x as bug‑ridden: kernel panics with HDMI, debugger breaking local networking, and a general pattern of regressions each .0–.2 release.
  • Some delay upgrades until late point releases; others compare unfavorably with older macOS eras, arguing that yearly feature pushes leave insufficient time for regression testing.

Alternatives and ecosystem trade‑offs

  • A sizable subthread contrasts macOS, Windows, and Linux:
    • macOS praised for hardware, performance (especially Apple Silicon, battery life, local LLMs), and integration; criticized for opacity and lock‑in.
    • Linux praised for user control, rollbacks, and fixability; criticized for hardware quirks, weaker commercial apps, and rough edges in UX.
    • Windows criticized for intrusive updates, weaker built‑in backup, Bluetooth/driver issues, but noted to have structured rollback for some OS updates.
  • Some Mac users say this is pushing them toward Linux (including Asahi on Apple Silicon), while others feel macOS still wins overall for “it just works” day‑to‑day use despite frustrations.