New to Mac - Questions

[Orlaam]

I just purchased my first Macbook Pro. I'm excited and have played around with it a fair amount. Aside from having iPhones for about 5 years, this is my first Apple computer.

So, being a PC user at home, I'm wondering how to block ads on YouTube through a browser. I use FF with NoScript and AdBlock Plus, so I never see ads I don't want to see, and never on YouTube.

Is there a third-party browser I need to install into OS X or would an extension to Safari do the trick??

Also, which apps are a must in general? I'm not doing any editing or creating, mostly productivity-related use or surfing. I have Cloud for PS but doubt I'd use it on a small screen when I have a large monitor at home to edit with.

And this may seem stupid, but if I install an app I don't like and remove it, will it be gone for good or leave a trail of **** behind like MS OS's? I mean iOS seems to mostly obliterate apps that you remove, so I assume the Mac is similar?

Thanks! Any tips would be welcome! I'm n00b lol

-Chris

 

[btbam91]

On your last point, I have seen Mac definitely leave behind a trail of files. One of the most annoying things I have seen tbh.

 

[Orlaam]

On your last point, I have seen Mac definitely leave behind a trail of files. One of the most annoying things I have seen tbh.

Well that sucks. How do you get rid of things that eat up HDD space then? I don't wanna DL something then find out it's junk or I don't like it, only to have stuff left behind. I hate that about Windows, it's just entries and files all over.

 

[btbam91]

Well that sucks. How do you get rid of things that eat up HDD space then? I don't wanna DL something then find out it's junk or I don't like it, only to have stuff left behind. I hate that about Windows, it's just entries and files all over.

I do a google search on how to uninstall the app and delete all its related files. Usually i find on stackoverflow.com a couple of commands into Terminal.

I have to be doing something wrong. I really thought moving an app to the trash would delete everything.

 

[Orlaam]

I do a google search on how to uninstall the app and delete all its related files. Usually i find on stackoverflow.com a couple of commands into Terminal.

I have to be doing something wrong. I really thought moving an app to the trash would delete everything.

Well I saw some users recommending app cleaners (one actually called AppCleaner), but if it's not too arduous to remove yourself then that's fine. I'm more than comfortable with stuff like that. I used to remove registry entries in Windows a lot, but I have notice that is almost an impossible task anymore. Not that I'm concerned about 2kb of text data, but files and other nonsense can add up.

 

[SDColorado]

I use Ublock Origin extension with Safari. AdGuard also works well and has a small footprint, but it is sometimes too aggressive. 1blocker is another good one. Purify and Wipr are a couple other alternatives.

CCCleaner, App Cleaner and App Trap are all pretty good at cleaning removing apps and the trails they can create.

 

[Penlocky]

Welcome to Apple computers. I hope you enjoy the ride. There are some tips and tricks that you might find along the way so feel free to ask!

I am also still finding a non intrusive and great ad blocker!
And like what others said, I usually just google "uninstall app and related files", then the result will mostly show all the related file names which can be hunted down by "finder" and I just delete them.

You'll also find that some features you want from windows is bit different here. Please feel free to ask!

 

[Orlaam]

Cool! Thanks! I use Purify on Safari on the phone but haven't found it too intrusive. A couple websites haven't worked with it, but overall it's fine. I just go to a couple websites that are littered with ads and the YouTube ads are very annoying. I tolerate it on the phone.

 

[SDColorado]

Cool! Thanks! I use Purify on Safari on the phone but haven't found it too intrusive. A couple websites haven't worked with it, but overall it's fine. I just go to a couple websites that are littered with ads and the YouTube ads are very annoying. I tolerate it on the phone.

UBlock Origin, has an easy pause button if you find a site that doesn't want to play nice. Some are getting adept at detecting the use of add blockers.

 

[TonyK]

For removing applications, a free program like AppCleaner does a pretty good job of removing all files.

Get FireFox for OS X and you can still use NoScript with it.

 

[ZapNZs]

With Chrome and FireFox, uBlock Origin is the best ad and popup blocker I have ever used. It works better than others I've used, with a fraction of the resource consumption. With Chrome, be sure to add the uBlock Origin Extra (formally Web Socket). That paired with Magic Actions for YouTube and adds will become so rare you might find yourself shocked when the occasional one comes through!

I've used Anti-Adblock Killer in Chrome via TaperMonkey with good success in terms of function, but it was relatively resource heavy so I stopped using it daily.

Macs still leave behind some files upon removal, but IMO it is rare that these affect the computer with the exception of the launchd folders (which can indicate a process starting at login or startup that may not have been removed along with the normal uninstall - for example, an antivirus program like BitDefender where BDAgent is a separate process from the actual BitDefender AV App.) If I want to be sure an App's main files are gone, I will use Finder to check the launchd, Application Support, Preferences, Cache, Startup Items folders and manually delete any remnant lists, and periodically check through the installed kexts.