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Mac OS X Lion to Bring iOS-Like Uninstall Process for Mac App Store Apps

apple needs to do something about this whole uninstallation process. apps like appcleaner exist and they do exist for a very good reason. if i uninstall an app, i want it to completely be gone.
and what if you have a corrupted .plist file which causes the application to misbehave? by simply drag & drop the app into the trashcan leaves its associated files untouched and re-installing the app won't fix the problem.
on many troubleshooting guides a very common suggestion is to remove the preference file, located in the user (in most cases) library folder, but in lion this folder is hidden and if you ask me, this will confuse newbies even more. i'm sure there will be comments like "but i don't have a library folder" and so on.
 
oh guys, don't you understand what is going on here?

the iPhone and iPad is very sucessful therefore apple wants to bring all the user interface elements to the Mac too. and this actually makes sense. the only problem: we are used to the Mac os and don't want to give up our habits.

but there is no way around: it's time to melt iOS and Mac OS x. and apple is going to bring so many things to the os x that will confuse so many people. they have to solve so many problems like deletion of programs or the fullscreen dilemma.

I am very sure that they want the Mac os to behave like iOS. but iOS is based on the home screen and this terrible multitasking bar (double-click on home button) no trashcan (oho!) and no finder.

but there is also a good side to it. maybe the iOS is getting the "widget screen" too, because if apple is totally logical, the have to introduce this too (and mission control).

(written on an iPad)
 
It seems like any time there's even a slight implication of any software being tuned to be easier to use, there's a barrage of negative comments lamenting how it's been "watered down."

What's with all this baseless elitism?
(Over uninstalling an app! Such a trite matter)

I see lots of people saying they'll stick with their version, or that it's the end of whatever paradigm they had before... why? Because it's what... "harder to use?" Who is that going to impress?

Not just for Lion, but this is exactly what happened with FCPX.

Which direction would the evolution of software go? Harder? Of course not...

I really wonder what the reasoning behind all this negativity is...
 
I have a question. If u delete an App that way does it mean its completely gone, i mean under windows if you delete something you still find lots of folders related to the deleted program somewhere in the WINDOWS folder. I am not a Mac specialist so I am wondering, and is this the same when moving an app to the trash ...
 
And they will call this "revolution" and amazing feature which is worth $$$... classic and very usual from Apple.
 
Burstl said:
I have a question. If u delete an App that way does it mean its completely gone, i mean under windows if you delete something you still find lots of folders related to the deleted program somewhere in the WINDOWS folder. I am not a Mac specialist so I am wondering, and is this the same when moving an app to the trash ...
Click to expand...

first of all: this way of deleting programs will only work with programs you bought at the app store.

second: a program file is often a folder that has lots of other files inside. but it is locked and hidden in front of the user. so when you delete a program file in most cases you delete a lot more files. You can check this yourself by going into the program folder, right click and select "show package content".
 
Robot-Rock said:
This concept might seem alien to a lot of MacRumours users, but being a 'switcher', the method of deleting any app on OS X currently seems very ad hoc. I've been a mac user now for about 4 years and yet the idea of having to delete an app by dragging it to the trash seems very... strange. You never know if you've deleted ALL of that program.

Microsoft have managed to get one thing right in Windows. A specific tool (Add/Remove Programs) to delete a program. That's something that I genuinely feel is lacking in OS X and this idea of clicking and holding in LaunchPad makes sense. It's imple enough: most users who own an iPhone will have no trouble in adopting this method. And what's more, it makes it instantly accessible to anyone who uses a mac. In addition, it goes a step further than Microsoft. It avoids making more novice users from having to delve in to a complex window of settings. A step in the right direction? I think so!

So personally, I think this is a very simple yet very effective change to make to OS X and should be a welcome sign of the things to come in Lion!
Click to expand...

I think this is fair but let me bottom line it.

10 versions of Mac OS and no standard process for properly (and completely) removing apps?

and...If dragging to the trash can is effective why do so many cleaner applications exist?

Mac OS has some really cool features but also lack polish and refinement. This lack of refinement is based solely on apple's drive to not be like Windows.

The new iOS approach to removal does not seem effective as I doubt this is a complete uninstall...probably just an background move to the trashcan. How many times have you removed apps from your phone then reinstalled them to find you previous data intact?
 
i bought my first ever ipad last week............

today while working on my macbook i touched its screen to flick through pictures...... amazing how easily we transform?
 
pkson said:
It seems like any time there's even a slight implication of any software being tuned to be easier to use, there's a barrage of negative comments lamenting how it's been "watered down."

What's with all this baseless elitism?
(Over uninstalling an app! Such a trite matter)

I see lots of people saying they'll stick with their version, or that it's the end of whatever paradigm they had before... why? Because it's what... "harder to use?" Who is that going to impress?

Not just for Lion, but this is exactly what happened with FCPX.

Which direction would the evolution of software go? Harder? Of course not...

I really wonder what the reasoning behind all this negativity is...
Click to expand...

I dont think this is elitism...

Perhaps we can just say that Lion will offer a new level of refinement for a Mac OS.

Lets hope the iOS uninstall is implemented as a real uninstall...otherwise what's the point.
 
franswa za said:
i bought my first ever ipad last week............

today while working on my macbook i touched its screen to flick through pictures...... amazing how easily we transform?
Click to expand...

Took 5 versions of the iphone, 1 version of the ipad and a s-load of developers to get here.
 
baryon said:
Great, but why use "Click and hold" when you can right click? Why implement the limitations of a small touch screen into a full computer that has the ability to do more? I hate things that require a delay. Click and hold sucks.
Click to expand...

+1

I hope they leave both options available. I have no problem with adding this functionality to OS X for those who want the IOS experience on their desktop. But please leave the "old" way for those of us who prefer it.
 
Michaelgtrusa said:
A good uninstaller is need in OS 10. I'd like to know where and how much is installed.
Click to expand...

That's what Apple's trying NOT to do.

They don't want you to care about these issues what so ever. If you are interested, use an external software.

I remember a post that I read on MR some time back. It explained that there are some tasks that we should not be doing but we do out for our own sake; as if they are built into us. There are some tasks which we just do and don't realize we are doing them. They slowly transform into a habit and we can't get them go away just like that.

For eg. quitting of apps. Apple does NOT want us to quit the apps ourselves. They believe its high time the computers become self aware as to what they should be doing and taking care of their user's habits.

You shouldn't care about the installation files and other data. Just drag them out out to the trash and BOOM!.

The reason you have plist files and other data stored on the computer because the developers wanted so. Apple now strictly states that any data must be saved in the app and the library folder should not be referenced at all.

In my opinion, just like on Windows, its the developers responsibility to attach an uninstaller with their app Or just a simple script which keeps a track of all the files that were dumped in the machine and then just do a recursive remove on all the files and folders and done. It's the fault of developers and not Apple.
 
dethmaShine said:
I remember a post that I read on MR some time back. It explained that there are some tasks that we should not be doing but we do out for our own sake; as if they are built into us. There are some tasks which we just do and don't realize we are doing them. They slowly transform into a habit and we can't get them go away just like that.

For eg. quitting of apps. Apple does NOT want us to quit the apps ourselves. They believe its high time the computers become self aware as to what they should be doing and taking care of their user's habits.

You shouldn't care about the installation files and other data. Just drag them out out to the trash and BOOM!.


In my opinion, just like on Windows, its the developers responsibility to attach an uninstaller with their app Or just a simple script which keeps a track of all the files that were dumped in the machine and then just do a recursive remove on all the files and folders and done. It's the fault of developers and not Apple.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and I think that contributes to the popularity of the iPhone/iPad devices and even Apple devices in general. A lot of people were bitching about how the implemented multi-tasking in the iOS but frankly, I love it! As long as it does not reduce performance (that should be ensured by the device/software) I don't care how many apps are running in the background. This works (almost) perfectly on my iPhone. Why not bring some of those ideas over to Mac OS? I think it is a step in the right direction, as long as Apple makes sure that it is a proper deinstallation of the app of course.

And to all the lovers of Windows remove program: Usually there is still something left on the HD, even if you deinstalled properly. Something like program folders, registry entries and/or temporary files get left behind.
 
In Lion a user simply needs to invoke the Launchpad, click and hold on the icon of the application they wish to delete, and when the icons begin to wiggle a cross appears on icons of apps installed via the Mac App Store. Clicking this cross brings up the message "Are you sure you want to delete the application...?", and clicking 'Delete' confirms and removes the app.
Click to expand...
I hope I can right-click and delete them too. Pointless to click and wait while holding if you have an input device with more than one button... :rolleyes:
 
I don't really think this is suitable... Just wait for Apple to modify it again into something that can wow us.
 
Okay, stupid question, sort of related.

I'm running optibay on my MBP (SSD & HDD with SSD split running my apps and OS, and then Win7, and my HDD acting as my storage drive for my media).... when I install Lion how crazy is that going to get?

I HIGHLY doubt (but do hopelessly hope [yes, I know]) that it'll be as easy as swapping my snow leopard with Lion... meaning that my Win7 will remain.... although for some reason I feel that I'll need to format the entire SSD, thus erasing my win7 install?

The only reason I ask is that it's a pita to install Win7 with this setup due to Win7 not loading from disk via USB... so I have to remove the damn optibay and put my optical drive back in.

So basically, I assume I have to re-link my OSX (as it's split now between ssd and hdd)... but do I have to erase my Win7 install as well on the SSD?
 
pkson said:
I

I really wonder what the reasoning behind all this negativity is...
Click to expand...

Well I can tell you why I'm dubious - we know that iOS has shown that full computer paradigms don't translate well to the tablet (e.g. iOS compared to the 'full Windows' tablet experience). I'm thinking that the description of this new feature sounds very clumsy, and it may illustrate that the reverse of my first statement is true: tablet interface conventions may not translate well to a 'normal' computer environment.
 
bobsentell said:
But my iPhone is far more limited than my first Windows PC in that regard. Even with Windows 95 I could go from one app to another while letting the other on load in the background. iOS freezes everything. If I want a video to upload on Facebook, I have no choice but to keep the app open until it's done. On my PC, I can start the upload and then move on to other things while the process is completing.

I find moving to non-true multitasking as a step backward, not a step forward. As you said, out systems capabilites are able to do so much more. I can be playing a computer game, hit the Windows key, and open a media player and never see a drop in performance. Why limit your computer to one task at a time? Kind of defeats the point of multi-core processors.
Click to expand...

Uh, this comment is entirely wrong. With iOS, you can download something and move to another app and it will continue downloading in the background. The multitasking APIs have all the obvious backgrounding tasks covered and will likely include more if needed. Basically the goal is to allow background tasks when needed and when not needed let the app suspend and release resources to the apps you actually need. This method in iOS has proven to work far better than traditional operating systems like Mac OS X and Windows. That's why they are bringing it "Back to the Mac OS". The best parts of what they developed in iOS are being added in Lion.

I think most people's problem is that they mistakenly viewed iOS as inferior in every way to Mac OS X but in many ways it is cutting edge and far better than OS X and Windows have ever been. The way iOS multitasking works is the reason very powerful and memory hungry apps like iMove and GarageBand for iPad work so surprisingly well on such a limited memory device. The apps get to use a much larger percentage of the CPU, GPU, and RAM than they do on traditional OSes under normal usage where you have multiple apps open.

Right now I have a bunch of tabs open in Safari on my Mac and it's consuming a little over 1GB of RAM and lots of CPU. If I switch to Photoshop, Safari is still going to be using up all that RAM and CPU I really need for Photoshop when I don't plan on using Safari again until later today. And I don't want to shut it down because I have a bunch things in these tabs that I want to get back to later today including partially typed forum replies, halfway read articles, etc. On the iPad, Safari would suspend and release the RAM and CPU to my currently used RAM/CPU hungry app. That's what they need to bring to Lion.
 
Last edited:
THE KILLER FEATURE! :rolleyes:

Seriously, clicking and holding, pressing an x and then confirming sounds a hell of a lot harder than dragging to the trash. This is change for iOS's sake.
 
roadbloc said:
THE KILLER FEATURE! :rolleyes:

Seriously, clicking and holding, pressing an x and then confirming sounds a hell of a lot harder than dragging to the trash. This is change for iOS's sake.
Click to expand...


I'm not so sure that is true. I was teaching an elderly person how to drag and drop a file into a folder and the whole drag and drop concept did not seem all that easy to her. She kept releasing the mouse button too early, not dropping it in the right place, and not waiting long enough to release the button once she did hover over it. Dragging from a folder to a trash icon in a different location (which may even be set to autohide) seems quite a bit more difficult to do than just staying where you are and holding down on it until it wiggles and then clicking on the "X". Unless of course you have already mastered the concept.
 
I wonder if they are going to implement also the iOS "shake device to undo" feature :)

But seriously - I do not care of they implement also rightclick for the same functionality.
 
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