What Does A White Circle With a Slash Mean?

[canjond]

My apologies if this is a question with an easy answer but I'm a mac convert as of 1 week ago so have little experience with the operating system thus far. However, since getting my mac, I've noticed that when I download programs from the internet (such as Firefox), they appear in my applications folder with a white circle and slash through them. This has not happened with program that I've installed using Mac Disks (such as Microsoft Office) Here is a picture of the circle/slash I found on the internet:

http://img.skitch.com/20100117-qjq3qg6xewuayii8rit6hqgarj.png

Interestingly enough, however, if, after saving the program in my applications folder, I move the program to my desktop, then move it back to my applications folder, the circle/slash disappears and never comes back. At no point did the program behave funny or not work.

Any idea what this is? Am I doing something wrong or is the circle/slash just some indicator that the program I downloaded is not from a trusted source.

 

[Peace]

It means you just installed the app and the icon is not available until you either log out then back in or re-boot.

 

[r.j.s]

It's a built in protection mechanism. When you download the app, it is blocked off from the system, until you run it the first time. This includes the icon. Once you run the app once, the icon will appear.

 

[spinnerlys]

The Mac OS still needs some time to read the proper icon out of the application package. After you first start the application, the real icon will appear and the Verboten sign will disappear.


Also have a look at the following links, as the information presented there might be helpful in your future endeavours into Mac OS X and could clear up initial confusion and may even prevent harm to your system or your files.

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/ - text
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/ - videos
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/ - text
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343 - keyboard shortcuts

 

[Nermal]

It's a built in protection mechanism. When you download the app, it is blocked off from the system, until you run it the first time. This includes the icon. Once you run the app once, the icon will appear.

Huh? I've been using OS X since 10.2 (through to 10.6) and have *never* seen this. The only time I've seen the "slash circle" is when trying to run a Classic app on an Intel machine, or a similar "can't run this app" situation.

 

[r.j.s]

Huh? I've been using OS X since 10.2 (through to 10.6) and have *never* seen this. The only time I've seen the "slash circle" is when trying to run a Classic app on an Intel machine, or a similar "can't run this app" situation.

It started in 10.5 and is associated with the "You downloaded this app from the internet, are you sure you want to run it?" dialog you get the first time you run it.

 

[Nermal]

It started in 10.5 and is associated with the "You downloaded this app from the internet, are you sure you want to run it?" dialog you get the first time you run it.

Still never seen it. I just downloaded a random app (I'm running 10.6.2) and immediately see the icon, with no strikethrough.

 

[canjond]

Huge help - thanks! This makes perfect sense. Glad to know I wasn't screwing up my downloads somehow. Really appreciate the input.

 

[-aggie-]

Still never seen it. I just downloaded a random app (I'm running 10.6.2) and immediately see the icon, with no strikethrough.

Do you get that dialog that r.j.s. wrote about?

 

[Nermal]

I do. As a side note, do you know how to turn it off?

 

[-aggie-]

I do. As a side note, do you know how to turn it off?

Nope. A search found nothing (except for something about Default Folder X 4 software possibly being able to turn it off). I'd suspect some Terminal commands might do it, but I don't know what they are.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

It's a built in protection mechanism. When you download the app, it is blocked off from the system, until you run it the first time. This includes the icon. Once you run the app once, the icon will appear.

This is what i've always thought, though its not 100% consistent.

 

[chown33]

I do. As a side note, do you know how to turn it off?

The downloaded app would have to be signed by a developer with an Apple-issued code-signing certificate. Many developers don't sign apps, hence the confirmation dialog.

 

[MisterMe]

Still never seen it. I just downloaded a random app (I'm running 10.6.2) and immediately see the icon, with no strikethrough.

I believe that you are correct. The struck-through application icon means that the downloaded app will not run on the computer where it is seen. It has nothing to do with whether or not the app has been launched for the first time.

I see the icon struck-through when I download an Intel-only app to my PM G5. My MacBook Pro runs MacOS X 10.6.2 with Rosetta installed. I never see it there, possibly because I would never even think about trying to install a Classic app on my MBP.

 

[-aggie-]

The downloaded app would have to be signed by a developer with an Apple-issued code-signing certificate. Many developers don't sign apps, hence the confirmation dialog.

So, Nermal only gets unsigned apps?

I believe that you are correct. The struck-through application icon means that the downloaded app will not run on the computer where it is seen. It has nothing to do with whether or not the app has been launched for the first time.

I see the icon struck-through when I download an Intel-only app to my PM G5. My MacBook Pro runs MacOS X 10.6.2 with Rosetta installed. I never see it there, possibly because I would never even think about trying to install a Classic app on my MBP.

I see the struck through on everything I DL. After I start it the first time, I get the message and then it's fine. I have a MBP on 10.6.2.