Mac OS X in a Nutshell

Installing Applications

Since each Mac OS X Cocoa application tidily keeps itself and all its required resources and files inside a single bundled folder (as described in Section 2.4.2.1), installing them onto a local hard disk is often just a manner of dragging an application icon from its original medium (such as a CD-ROM or a mounted disk image) into a local destination folder.

This can be anywhere on the filesystem, but the system’s application database won’t automatically register it unless you place it in one of the system’s predefined Applications folders (as Chapter 9 further details). Basically, if you have admin priveleges and wish to make an application available to all the Mac’s users (or if you are the Mac’s sole user), you should drag the application icon into the /Applications folder (the one that the Finder’s Applications toolbar button leads to). To make an application accessible to you alone, place it in the Applications folder within your Home folder (creating it first, if necessary).

Software Installers

Some software packages, particularly those that update core system software or install several applications at once, require the use of special installer applications to get them onto a machine’s local disk. Using these applications is as simple as launching them and then following the prompts.

Many (perhaps most) software installers, especially if they plan on writing any files outside of your Home folder, require that you have admin privileges before they ...