Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Jake4

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 24, 2016
6
0
Hi, I was wondering if there is a way to delete stock MAC OS X apps like chess and etc. Thanks
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,644
4,044
New Zealand
"sudo rm -r /Applications/Chess.app" should do it (although I haven't tested it). On the other hand, the bundled apps are usually fairly small so there is probably little benefit in doing so.
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
"sudo rm -r /Applications/Chess.app" should do it (although I haven't tested it). On the other hand, the bundled apps are usually fairly small so there is probably little benefit in doing so.

This does not work anymore without disabling System Integrity Protection. You are right that deleting them has a negligible effect. These applications are often just front-ends for system frameworks that will remain in your libraries. This is certainly true for Safari, Dashboard, Mission Control, App Store and so forth. iBooks and Mail are among the biggest with about 50 MB each.
 

Jake4

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 24, 2016
6
0
This does not work anymore without disabling System Integrity Protection. You are right that deleting them has a negligible effect. These applications are often just front-ends for system frameworks that will remain in your libraries. This is certainly true for Safari, Dashboard, Mission Control, App Store and so forth. iBooks and Mail are among the biggest with about 50 MB each.
"sudo rm -r /Applications/Chess.app" should do it (although I haven't tested it). On the other hand, the bundled apps are usually fairly small so there is probably little benefit in doing so.
Do you guys know if deleting apps like pages, and etc since it allows me to. Would i be able to redownload it if i need it later on?
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
Do you guys know if deleting apps like pages, and etc since it allows me to. Would i be able to redownload it if i need it later on?

You can only redownload programs that are in your purchase history at the App Store.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,644
4,044
New Zealand
This does not work anymore without disabling System Integrity Protection.
Huh. That's beginning to sound like a design flaw. I understand trying to prevent accidental damage to the system, but when the root user can't delete a game then - in my opinion - it's quickly approaching the point of absurdity, especially when combined with needing to enter an administrator password to look at (not change!) last month's calendar in Sys Prefs.

I'm sure that all of Apple's permission changes made sense, one at a time, but it appears that someone needs to take a step back and look at the system as a whole. I did of course provide isolated examples, and it's not such a problem with every day usage... and I'm getting fairly off-topic so I think I'll stop now :)
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
Huh. That's beginning to sound like a design flaw. I understand trying to prevent accidental damage to the system, but when the root user can't delete a game then - in my opinion - it's quickly approaching the point of absurdity, especially when combined with needing to enter an administrator password to look at (not change!) last month's calendar in Sys Prefs.

Maybe you should stop misusing the system-time setter as a calendar. That is not what you should use it for. ;)

You can change the system date and time in that panel and it makes much sense why that would be restricted to administrators and be locked when not meant to be changed frequently. Manipulating the system time can have serious consequences, as we saw recently on iOS. An intruder could harm your device that way.

System Integrity Protection is supposed to protect the system as it is installed. That includes system applications, such as the utilities and applications like Safari or the App Store. A user can be assured that the application is always protected and therefore reliable. The only odd thing is that it extends to Chess.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,644
4,044
New Zealand
Maybe you should stop misusing the system-time setter as a calendar. That is not what you should use it for.
Right, but old habits are hard to break; until a couple of years ago, using the clock's menu was the easiest/quickest way to get to a calendar (and gives consistency with Windows, which I still use at work). Going back to Windows 95, that's about 20 years worth of "muscle memory" out the window for no personal benefit.

An intruder could harm your device that way.
In all honestly they'd be more likely to steal the whole computer than change the time :p
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
Right, but old habits are hard to break; until a couple of years ago, using the clock's menu was the easiest/quickest way to get to a calendar (and gives consistency with Windows, which I still use at work). Going back to Windows 95, that's about 20 years worth of "muscle memory" out the window for no personal benefit.

That is like putting sudo in front of every Terminal command just because! Windows and bad habits. :(
Are the small calendar in sidebar of the Calendar application or the Dashboard widget too mainstream for you? o_O

In all honestly they’d be more likely to steal the whole computer than change the time :p
Not just that kind of intruder, also the virtual kind. Also: what if you would accidentally change the date or time yourself?
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,644
4,044
New Zealand
Are the small calendar in sidebar of the Calendar application or the Dashboard widget too mainstream for you? o_O
Loading a whole app is a bit "overkill", but a Dashboard widget could work. I had no idea that you could put a calendar in there so it looks like it's time to do some research. Thanks for the tip! :)

Edit: Ohh, that Dashboard :p ... I was thinking of the slide-out thing on the right ("Today"), which unfortunately doesn't seem to allow it. In any case, I'll see whether I can train myself to use Dashboard.

I suppose I'm coming across as a complete idiot :) ... it's amazing how "set in your ways" you can become without realising it!
 
Last edited:

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
Loading a whole app is a bit "overkill", but a Dashboard widget could work. I had no idea that you could put a calendar in there so it looks like it's time to do some research. Thanks for the tip! :)

Edit: Ohh, that Dashboard :p ... I was thinking of the slide-out thing on the right ("Today"), which unfortunately doesn't seem to allow it. In any case, I'll see whether I can train myself to use Dashboard.

These actually exist. Like this one: https://itunes.apple.com/app/quick-calendar/id1004514425. Lots of things in the App Store.

I suppose I'm coming across as a complete idiot :)

No comment. *walks away inconspicuously*
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.