I am wondering if there is some general way to uninstall applications. I know Windows utilizes a mini-app "Add/remove programs", but is there something similar for Mac? Specifically, I would like to uninstall Firefox, but I don't know how to get rid of it besides just deleting the application shortcut. I am having a problem such that when I click on links to download things (or even viewing embedded videos), nothing happens. I have been forced to use Safari for downloading anything. If anyone has a solution for this, I would love to hear it, but I'm still interested in knowing how to uninstall applications.
Mac Specs: MacPro 3.0Ghz 16GB RAM, 4x256 Vid, 30''cinema display
ok its pretty hard, but I think I can explain it to you.
Step 1. Find the application, usually a good place to look is yourHD/applications/
Step 2. Click and hold on the application.
Step 3. Slowly move the mouse, with application attached to the trash can in your bottom right corner.
Step 4. Jump up and down 3 times, no more and no lesss
Step 5. Right click or control+click on the trash and select "empty trash"
Step 6. Close your application window
Mac Specs: MacBook 2.0GHz White, 512MB RAM, 60GB HDD
If you drag the application icon from the Applications directory into the trash, then that's all there is to it. Similarly, when you install you only need to copy the icon from the downloaded disk image to the Applications directory.
Mac Specs: MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, TV, iPhone, Nano
Try the search function on the site if you have any other problems. There are usually posts on almost everything you could think of. Most of them are really helpful.
Mac Specs: Mac Book Pro, 1.83 GHz, 1.5 gigs RAM, 80 GB, AND NO HEAT ISSUES!!
isn't that much simpler than a PC? eh? eh?
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Mac Specs: Mac Pro Quad 2.66GHz Intel Xeon W/3GB Ram & 250GB HDD
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShillAT
isn't that much simpler than a PC? eh? eh?
Yup
Although when i first got my Mac and someone told that to install/uninstall a program all you had to do was copy it to your hard drive or move it to the trash I was like Whoa, thats way to magical for me. Where's the uninstall program, the dll's, the registry, etc? But in fact, it is that magical. :cool:
Mac Specs: MacBook 2.0GHz White, 512MB RAM, 60GB HDD
What's bizarre is that nobody seems to think to ask "So why does this program seem to want to splatter itself all over my system and then require a semi-reliable 3rd party app to remove it?"
Windows is the only OS still around that forces this approach. Linux and similar that use an 'all over the hard disk' approach to installation have decent package and dependancy management systems, and Mac just lets you treat the entire app as an icon on the desktop. Weird.
I figured there might be some hidden preference files around somewhere that would still linger. As for searching, I did do a search first and didn't find anything. I tried again later after I posted and found it. Thanks for the replies, though.
The reason I want to get rid of the small files isn't because of the size or whatever, I want to eliminate all of Firefox at this point because I think there is something wrong and I want to start over with it. If the problem lies within one of those small files, then the rest of the process wouldn't help at all.
Speaking of which, is there any way to save the bookmark pages automatically from Firefox? I have a number of bookmarks that I don't particularly feel like copying and pasting manually first out of Firefox and then back in after I reinstall.
Mac Specs: MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, TV, iPhone, Nano
If your using Tiger do a spotlight search for firefox. The file should show up as a .pref file with a light switch icon next to it and just drag that to the trash. Then empty the trash before you install again.
If your using Tiger do a spotlight search for firefox. The file should show up as a .pref file with a light switch icon next to it and just drag that to the trash. Then empty the trash before you install again.
Applications may and typically do create folders and files in your "~/Library/Application Support" and "~/Library/Preferences" directories which is fairly analogous to the Windows registry.
The biggest problem this can cause might be if those supporting files get corrupted somehow and you want to reinstall the application. Dragging the application icon to the trash does NOT uninstall this stuff, so when you "reinstall" the application you will still have those corrupted files. Also, shareware apps typically use files in these areas to keep track of how many times or how long you have run a program, so that's why deleting and reinstalling the shareware app usually won't reset the clock, as it were. Also, a poorly written app could easily fill the Application Support directory with large or excessive amounts of files.
