Submission details
Delete app related files/settings when dragging apps to the trash
When a user uninstalls applications by dragging them to the trash there is no easy option to delete related files (settings, libraries... from the app). This leaves many orphaned files on the HDD. To un/reinstall apps cleanly the user has to locate those files manually, or use 3rd party uninstallers. A clean uninstall of apps shouldn't be that hard and shouldn't require 3rd party tools, it should be a feature of the OS.
Remove related files when dragging apps to the trash, and for example a check box to leave settings.
I think that this shouldn't require an App manager, just dragging apps to the trash to uninstall them is a very unique and cool feature of OS X that just need to be tweaked to perfection.
(submission similar to http://www.aquataskforce.com/view/139 but i don't want an app manager)
Low
High
Not fixed
Discussion (15 comments)
jasper,
I currently have a free app that does this with a minimal interface. When I drag an app to the Trash, it finds all related files and asks me if I want to delete them as well. I click delete and can then empty the Trash of both the app and its related files.
All Apple have to do is provide this option in the Finder preferences and then it can run invisibly every time you drag an app to the Trash. There would be no interface needed if it were simplified down to a mere preference.
Changed problem description.
Changed solution description.
Providing 'options' hidden in preferences is barely a feature - and this one is a feature we know of, but it should always do this. And by the way, meantioning a 'free app' but not naming it makes me suspicious. There is no free Appzapper (five free zapps, yes). Anyways I'm tired of all these fanatics thinking that Apple is holy, so fine: let's delete our apps like this and not know what's going on, or have barely any control except for a checkbox. Because that's what users find usefull!
I mentioned this app in another comment, but decided not to this time because I didn't want to be accused of advertising. It's called AppCleaner.
I hardly think that I and others are fanatics just because we don't want something usually as simple as drag-and-drop to turn into an uninstall wizard, so no name-calling, please.
The fact that the OS does not delete user preference files, and anything in Application Support is a feature of the OS, not a bug. If memory serves, Apple's guidelines specify that an app should only write to the Application Support folder and to it's own preference files. Likewise, using installers is discouraged.
The reasoning here is that a user should be able to decide separately and it should be a direct action by the user, not a side effect of deleting an app. This is related to the concept that apps shouldn't have to be uninstalled, a delete should be sufficient to remove the app.
If an installer is used, it should leave behind a receipt, including a BOM file (bill of materials) that lists the files installed. Pacifist (a semi-free app) will help to identify the files you need to delete, if you go that route. I agree that it would be nice for Apple to supply an uninstaller, but I suspect they don't because they want people to stop using installers in the first place.
I've got a good compromise: why not make the Applications folder in the Finder a special folder? Installed apps go in there, downloaded apps - just like now. But you've got that black bar (you usually see it in shared folders) on the top, where you can select it to delete applications or do some arranging there. That will make the App Manager part of the finder with good integration and more possibilities. Do this, Apple.
**Sigh** You're not reading this anyway.
I suggest that apple just provides a small little app - like DesInstaller3 - that reads the bom files in /Library/Receipts and deletes necessary files. Then it should ask to delete the user preferences and application support files as well.
Another way would be, to just add a uninstall command to the context menu of pkg files. The installer open the package, looks into it and simply does the reverse: delete the files it would otherwise install ...
So uninstalling would be as simple as to go to the Receipts folder, right click and choos unstinstall package.
mojo2012,
Technically, according to the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, programmers who write apps that place several files in various locations are supposed to include an uninstaller that does just that - the problem is that very few applications have it.
If an install automatically deleted files that were not directly linked to the application (ie: things not in the Library locations), then you run the risk of disabling other applications that may depend on the same libraries. (The only things that should install in generic system locations are libraries that are expecting other apps to use them... and they should have their own uninstallers with warnings to that effect.)
According to the developer guidelines, Applications should carry with them in their bundles the additional libraries they need that the system doesn't provide, or places files in the Application Support directory tagged with the app name.
Having an uninstaller like this sounds nice, but Apple probably thinks that doing something like this would encourage bad behavior. I kind of like the idea of a button in the Application folder to delete the stuff from your library (although I'm not fond of "special folder" in general).
I think "Applications".prefpane, with a list of all applications should be made. It would be located in system prefs, and clicking "remove" would erase apps and all related plugins and content. Additionally, there should be an option to keep certain files of a deleted app, for example delete the context menu item but keep the app settings. A tab with all orpahaned (app deleted but prefs remain" section would be there too in case users change their mind and decide to delete the orphaned prefs.
Not to be too pedantic, but a preference pane is the wrong place to put something like this. Preference panes should be for changing settings of the system and configuring behavior of the system, not taking actions. That's the job of something that should be a full application in the Utility folder or done by the Finder itself.
I do not want to go the Windows route, I hate the way Windows applications are managed. But we really, REALLY need just a bit better way to manage apps and all their supporting files.
I'm really liking the idea of the Application folder being a special folder with a delete button at the top in a black bar (like the empty trash button).
But however it winds up getting solved (or not), I really hope Apple does *something* in the near future!
Oh oh, before I end this comment, I have to mention the heinous state of Apple's Pro Apps in regards to installing and un-installing. Apple's Pro Apps do not have an uninstaller. And the Pro Apps installer installs hundreds of supporting files throughout various different places on the hard drive.
Well, for whatever reason, every Pro App on one of my systems decided to quit working, would not launch. Tried re-installing over the top, didn't help. Tried to locate all files installed by the installer, delete, and re-install. Did not help! There was simply no way to locate and delete all installed files, and I suppose one would have to be better than me to locate and diagnose the problem and fix it. But I believe this problem would have been solved by the operating system having some system whereby the Pro Apps could be COMPLETELY uninstalled so that a proper re-installation could be accomplished. As it was, I finally had to back up the system, wipe it and completely re-install a clean OS.
To me, this represents a serious problem and failing of OS X (as good as OS X is, so please don't take me for saying there is a better OS). This needs to be solved.
One of the icky things about my early life with my brand new Mac was installing things that i never could quite uninstall. This should be a priority of the Mac, to keep a good record of what is installed and where-all it put whatever CRAP it put into your machine. Yes, there are "well-behaved" apps that barely install anything, keeping everything inside their own packages (! nice), but there are un-behaved things (one installed itself with no options and didn't put ANYTHING in the Applications folder! it installed about four folders and files, all in places i'm still discovering. Since the machine logs everything, NOT ONLY can it know what a program installs, but ALSO what it does later when it is being used or tried out.
Each programm should include a list of files it will add to the system in it's manifest file inside the .app. The finder should just read this manifest and optionally delete all those files listed there.
Easy solution. Big impact.
If an application uses a package to instal, then there is already a BOM file (Bill Of Materials) included in the package. You can use Pacifist (if I remember the name correctly) to inspect a BOM and see what files were installed.
As for other files (preferences, application support directory, etc), those will *not* be in the BOM since they are dynamically created as the app runs.
Yes, I know a lot of people want these deleted automatically... but it shouldn't be by default in my opinion. On the other hand, there should be an option.
jasper wrote on September 12, 2008, 5:08pm
No, because an App manager would be too much Windows! Or, for god sake no, iPhone like! I don't think you can expect the OS to trace related files without a good interface for that, and Apple is interface-addicted. App manager, or nothing, you'll see.