Installing and deleting dashboard widgets, does it clog your system?

MVApple said:

I'm a former windows user and I'm still learning about OS X. I hate installing programs that leave behind all kinds of files though, especially when they slow your system down like in windows. I'm wondering, when you download, install, and then uninstall widgets, do files get left behind afterwards?

I've heard about programs like zap it, but it hasn't been updated in such a long time that I hear it doesn't work so good anymore.

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If anything all it will probably leave behind is a .plist files with various settings. They don't really hurt(or slow things down like on windows) but if you have some kind of OCD where you have to clean that stuff out they should be in ~/Library/Preferences/ all the names start with 'widget-com'.

Note that Apple's widget .plist files are here also, as well as any .plist for any program on your mac so some caution should be used in deleting.

MVApple said:

when you download, install, and then uninstall widgets, do files get left behind afterwards?

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Yes, but...

especially when they slow your system down like in windows.

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They don't do that. Most programs do not leave behind anything but tiny preferences files, which are harmless.

Most of the time they take up less space on your disk than the "uninstall" apps do!

Some badly behaved programs do leave larger files behind, though.