merge ~/library and /library

[GroRelou]

Hi all,
I would like to merge the directories ~ / Library and / Library.
In fact I am the only user on my mac so I'd rather have all the libraries in the same location (/ Library).

I know that some applications use ~/library/application support/... So if I abruptly moves the directories to /Library maybe those application will not find their files anymore.

Does anyone already did this?
Who has an idea how to properly do this merge?

 

[aicul]

Are you doing this for the technical exercise?

If you are not, maybe it would be better to explain what benefit you seek to gain from this. Maybe there are other things you can do to make your mac more friendly

 

[Damo01]

Hi all,
I would like to merge the directories ~ / Library and / Library.
In fact I am the only user on my mac so I'd rather have all the libraries in the same location (/ Library).

I know that some applications use ~/library/application support/... So if I abruptly moves the directories to /Library maybe those application will not find their files anymore.

Does anyone already did this?
Who has an idea how to properly do this merge?

can't do that because it is part of the system file structure.

 

[GroRelou]

it's because I want to move /Users/... to another partition and I think it will be more easy to have all the application searching for their files in the /Library.

Moreover, my User partition will not be very big so it can be a good idea to not have the library files

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It must be a way to do that because some application automatically uses the /library directory to install his files.

I'm not familiar with the perfs files but is it possible to change (manually) the default directory that the application uses.

 

[Damo01]

it's because I want to move /Users/... to another partition and I think it will be more easy to have all the application searching for their files in the /Library.

Moreover, my User partition will not be very big so it can be a good idea to not have the library files

----------

It must be a way to do that because some application automatically uses the /library directory to install his files.

I'm not familiar with the perfs files but is it possible to change (manually) the default directory that the application uses.

without having any knowledge on how OS X works then I suggested that you don't merge the two libraries.

you have apps as part of the installations that stores things in the libraries folders

 

[GroRelou]

yes, your right damo.
If I don't have a simple solution I will not attempt to do that.

 

[calderone]

This is a bad idea, don't do it.

While it is true that there is a natural hierarchy such that ~/Library will be checked first and then /Library (there are others, this is not an exhaustive list), there is no way to know if an application is capable of handling an absent ~/Library.

There are many user specific files (not just prefs) that applications expect per user, not per computer.

While an interesting experiment, I wouldn't recommend attempting to perform this change.

 

[GGJstudios]

Hi all,
I would like to merge the directories ~ / Library and / Library.

This is a very bad idea. That's a good way to screw up your system. You don't understand the significance of the two libraries and you shouldn't be messing around with such things unless you know what you're doing and fully understand the implications. Just use your Mac and let OS X manage the things "under the hood".

 

[old-wiz]

This idea reminds me of the days when I was working with *NIX and we had new college grads (with CS degrees no less) who came in and had great ideas for "improving" things and would go ahead and wind up with an unbootable mess. I learned not to let them get their hands on critical systems until they learned not to poke tigers in the tushie.