[schmozzle]

Hello All!
Excuse me if I sound a little odd...Please understand I have had my PB for like 3 days. I am still stuck in WinDoze thinking..

Just wanted to know if there is a program to Uninstall all these free applications i am downloading.. It struck me that tho I love being able to download and install all these free programs for OSX 10.3, what happens when I want to remove them and make sure nothing is left to clog up my Hard disk space? In WinDoze, they all had 'uninstallers' with them, and though it was far from perfect, it worked most of the time...though of course still left a mess in the registry but thats a whole other drama....

All hints appreciated.

cheers

[sandsl]

In most cases to delete an application, simply drag it to the trash.

Some applications might put some support files in ~/Library/Application Support and most will put a preference file in ~/Library/Preferences, but you don't really need to worry deleting preference files since they are so small.

[typoon]

What I like to do is do a fine on the App that I want to get rid of then I select everything int he find window and drag to trash, or use the keystroke to delete. Command (aka open apple)-Del then I empty trash and all is good.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by typoon:
What I like to do is do a fine on the App that I want to get rid of then I select everything int he find window and drag to trash, or use the keystroke to delete. Command (aka open apple)-Del then I empty trash and all is good.

This is unnecessary.

On Mac OS X, the only thing you have to do to remove 90% of applications is just drag them to the trash. Nothing more is needed.

Deleting everything that shows up in the Find window is dangerous - it could cause you to accidentally throw something important away (shades of Windows users deleting command.com in an attempt to get rid of Command & Conquer).

The Mac does not have a Windows Registry that installers dump stuff all over and which can cause instability, weird problems, etc. if they aren't removed. Life is simpler here.

Bottom line - if the app doesn't come with an uninstaller, it means you don't need one. If you dragged and dropped the app to the Applications folder to install it, you drag and drop it to the Trash to remove it. It's that simple.

[Targon]

OSX so desperately needs a native built in un-installer.

Most of the time we have no idea what is installed when installing drivers for hardware. Nor do we know what is installed when some apps are NOT packages and need to install other files on the system to run. Im talking apps like Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, etc etc. These apps install stuff all over the place, like kernel extensions, plugins, shared libs etc etc.

For these things we need a native uninstaller. OSX should build a data base for EVERYTHING that gets installed so users can go back an un-install stuff to get their systems back to previous states.

How many ppl have installed an OS X update only to find it screwed up their system in some way?? Many of us have. These same ppl are very frustrated when they have no choice but to re-install the OS an update to the last known state. This is total bollox and Mac users should NOT have to go through this heavy handed procedure. Not mentioning a MASSIVE time wasting experience.

Im personally starting to exercise GREAT caution when OS X updates are released.

You expect this sh!t from Windows NOT a Mac!!!!

Apple step up to the plate an develop a tru built in uninstaller function.

[Millennium]

Most apps can be uninstalled using the same means you used to install them. If you dragged it in from a disk image (and the vast majority of apps work this way), you can just drag it to the Trash. If you use an installer, try running it again; most installers on the Mac can also uninstall with no problems.

The major exception to this is Apple's own Installer technology. Yet another reason that it sucks. There are tools, such as our own CharlesS' excellent Pacifist, which can uninstall stuff installed with Apple's technology, but those are for now your only recourse.

Or you can simply not bother. OSX doesn't really degrade over multiple installs, the way Windows tends to do.

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by Millennium:
Most apps can be uninstalled using the same means you used to install them. If you dragged it in from a disk image (and the vast majority of apps work this way), you can just drag it to the Trash. If you use an installer, try running it again; most installers on the Mac can also uninstall with no problems.

Most applications drop stuff in ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Application Support/, but having that stuff on there isn't like having libraries and executables plopped all over your system disguised as important system files. Unless you're paranoid about a bunch of text files in your Library folder, then all you need to do is remove the application from the Applications folder.

Welcome to Macintosh.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by Millennium:
The major exception to this is Apple's own Installer technology. Yet another reason that it sucks. There are tools, such as our own CharlesS' excellent Pacifist, which can uninstall stuff installed with Apple's technology, but those are for now your only recourse.

Huh? I haven't built uninstall features into Pacifist, because of the safety issues involved in uninstalling packages that put stuff in /System. You can examine packages to see where they put things, though, to make it easier to remove them.

All the same, thanks for the compliment.

[Targon]

PC guy ->

These guys here are sugar coating the situation. Most of the Installers DON'T have un-installers. Most of the installer programs are VISE Installers, altho some have an Un-Installer most DON'T. The problem is with developers of software, they have the option to use VISE with Un-Install but many choose not to for some reason eg ICQ.

You will find that most applications are either Cocoa using packages, (installation is a matter of simply dragging app to disk-similarly for un-installing u drag to trash) or Carbon app's using packages. However, there are still many Carbon botch jobs out there that still use an installer an scatter junk all over the place...while its no where near as bad as windows, there is still that 'fondling in the dark' feeling. Dual Platform apps, which are usually poor ports of windows apps (why is it PC versions of the same apps runs so much better on a PC?-eg like ALL audio apps??) still use crappy installers, and dont provide un-installers and also seem to install junk everywhere as if it were installing in Windows. Many Audio apps suffer from this problem and it is VERY annoying.

Lastly i have to re-iterate...my biggest single problem (of this nature) with OS X is the installation of Drivers...These drivers are kernel extensions and u need root permission to do anything with them. You simply dont have the sufficient privileges to rename move or delete them. Of course, there isnt an un-installer built in to the OS so this aspect is particularly painful and needlessly time consuming.

Drivers that that use the Apple installer app install package receipts, altho Apple doesn't provide the function to use receipts to un-install u can use an app called 'DesInstaller' This does work pretty well. For other drivers installed using VISE installer, u really can only do a search for the driver then either enable root user then log as root user then delete the kernel extension, or perform some wierdo 'sudo' command in the Terminal (i hate that sh!t) OR, boot to Mac OS 9x and locate and remove the extension (if thats possible on your hardware). I have in the past been majorly p!ssed to find that the retard developers who packaged the installers for specific drivers named the kernel extension something other than the obvious and thus a simple search would not find the correct driver.

Just be aware of these things.

Mac OS X still does it all better than any POS Winhoez OS tho ;-)

[[APi]TheMan]

Heh, way to confuse him, Targon. Now someone has to go explain to him what "cocoa" is, what a "package is", what "VISE" is, what "receipts" are...

Don't forget about Aladdin Installers and ZeroG's "InstallAnywhere" Java installers, oh and then there's the auto-mounting-and-installing .dmg files.