[X Newbies] Removing Apps?

[Rob Griffiths]

TheMacintoshLady writes:

> if it's an app you want to remove, that's a mystery as there are
thousands of unknown files in them thar hills.

Huh?  I must admit, I've never read that about apps in OS X (unless I'm
mis-reading what you wrote).  For 99% of anything I install, the delete
procedure is simply:

1) Drag app folder to trash.
2) Empty trash.

Nearly every OS X application keeps all its files in a nice, neat tidy
"bundle", making it very easy to do just such things.  If you're really
worried about drive space, you can (just as you did in OS 9), go rooting
about in the System Folder(s) for various bits.  But even this is easy
in OS X, as everything installed by a well-behaved application will
exist within your user's Library folder.  Some may use Application
Support, others may create their own folder there, and most will use the
Preferences sub-directory.  Go to the Library folder, hit command-F, and
search for the app name to find the bits if you really need to kill
them.  Personally, I just leave them alone as they don't take much drive
space, and can't do any harm by sitting there without the host
application.

The exception to the above, of course, are applications that install
things that modify your system, such as tablet drivers, mouse drivers,
etc.  Most of these come with a nicely written uninstaller, though,
making removal even easier.

Do you have an example of an application that installs thousands of
files in numerous places other than what I've just described?  I must
admit, I don't think I've run across one in my time with OS X.

-rob.