With the release of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 and the latest security updates for Mojave and High Sierra earlier this week, Apple has made it much harder for users to ignore available software updates and the operating system itself.
The list of changes for macOS Catalina 10.15.5 includes the following item:
"New releases of macOS are no longer hidden when using the softwareupdate(8) command with the --ignore flag"
This change also affects the previous two versions of macOS, Mojave and High Sierra, after installing security update 2020-003. Users of these operating systems will no longer be able to get rid of the notification icon on the System Settings icon in the Dock, as well as the large button offering to upgrade to Catalina in the settings application.
In addition, when trying to enter a command in the terminal that previously helped hide intrusive notifications, a message is displayed that reads:
βIgnoring software updates is not recommended. The ability to ignore individual updates will be removed in a future release of macOS."
It is likely that Apple plans to reduce macOS fragmentation, since many users do not want to switch to new versions of the OS, preferring stable solutions that have been tested over time.
Source: 3dnews.ru