[X-Newbies] Re: Questions re: Classic, Applications folder, firewall, faxing

[Randy B. Singer]

On Jun 4, 2007, at 7:02 PM, Charles Martin wrote:

>>>> cause problems if you move them out of the Applications folder?
>>>
>>> FAR too many to list here.
>>
>> Please list a few good examples.
>
> I'll list one that I can recall specifically: Quark Xpress. Remove  
> the app from where the installer put it, and it fails to function.  
> Try it yourself.
>
> Unless you're offering to pay me to test other apps for you, I  
> would suggest that if YOU are the one who wants a list, YOU can  
> spend the time testing apps.
>
> I'm not going to go through my application folder and test each app  
> to find out which ones stop working FOR you.

You listed _one_ application that won't run outside the Applications  
folder.  That doesn't make it a rule.   I would dare to guess that  
just about everyone on this list has applications in places other  
than the Applications folder.  At the root level of their drive, in a  
special folder where they like to keep them, etc.  I'm sure that  
every one of these folks can tell you that all of these applications  
run just fine.  Even application developers often tell users to  
install their product "in the Applications folder, or anywhere that  
you want."

I note that there is no Apple tech note, no Ars Technica, article, no  
empirical evidence gathered by MacFixIt,  *nothing* saying that you  
have to keep all applications in the Applications folder.  Because  
you don't.  Just about every Mac user knows this from experience.

It's true that its easiest (from a logical organizational  
standpoint), and sometimes even best, and very rarely necessary, to  
keep applications in the Applications folder, but its not a hard and  
fast rule.  And in the vast majority of instances, locating an  
application outside of the Applications folder won't hurt anything.

>
>> And I would still love to hear how doing so will "Play havoc with the
>> directory."
>
> I would have thought this one was rather obvious, but I'll explain  
> in more detail.
>
> NORMAL USE causes directory corruption.
>
> Thus, ANYTHING that makes the computer work harder than it needs to  
> leads to an increased risk of directory corruption.

I can buy the argument that it is perfectly normal for the directory  
to become corrupted over time.  However I can't think of a single  
reason why locating an application outside of the Applications  
folder, or a file outside of the Documents folder, makes the  
"computer work harder" or why it would lead to accelerated or  
abnormal directory corruption.  The computer has to keep track of  
everything on it no matter where you put things.  It doesn't have  
conniptions and do cartwheels if you decide to put something in one  
place rather than another.

There are scores of Mac users who have been using OS X for five years  
with stuff located all over their drive, yet they have never had to  
run Disk Warrior and they have never suffered from directory  
problems.  If they had, it would be a huge topic of discussion.   
Instead, there are threads where folks openly question whether Disk  
Warrior is even necessary anymore.  e.g.:

http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?14@@.3c7926a4

No disrespect intended, but it sounds to me as if you are drawing  
conclusions that aren't warranted.  Can you cite any authority for  
your "computer working harder/increased directory corruption"  
theory?  Anything at all?  This is the sort of thing that really  
strikes me as something that Apple, and several other sources, would  
have written something about if it were the case.

It also strikes me that a "Newbies" list is the  wrong place to be  
advocating concepts for which you have no authority to cite  
whatsoever, and which is contrary to common experience.  If you want  
to broach and argue controversial theories about OS X, it might be  
best to save that for the X4U list, and not risk spreading FUD among  
newbies.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________