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I've always found installing apps on desktop completely unintuitive as well. You double-click a downloaded package, see a window containing the app icon (...why

I've always found installing apps on desktop completely unintuitive as well. You double-click a downloaded package, see a window containing the app icon (...why?), drag and drop the icon into your app folder usually with no feedback after then you have to manually launch the app e.g. using cmd+space. Why not just have a "do you want to install this app?" dialog when you click on the app file the app launches after?

sanbor 9y ago
You can just open the app without installing it.
- seanwilson 9y ago
  It's just not intuitive though is the point. You've already double clicked the app icon, now a window appears with the same icon that you have to double click again to launch it? I moved from Windows to Mac after a long time hearing about how great Apple usability was and I could never understand the logic behind the app install workflow.
  - thirdsun 9y ago
    So, I guess you also hate zip files too? You didn't double click the app icon - you double clicked the container that contains the app you are about to open or move/install to your apps folder. I think the drag and drop approach to installing apps is as easy as it gets.
    - wor3q 9y ago
      And this awkwardness is why windows apps have installers instead of being distributed in zip files. Double click -> click install, way easier than dragging anything anywhere
      - thirdsun 9y ago
        Frankly, I prefer the ability to install and, almost more importantly, uninstall apps via drag and drop. I understand, it depends on the software, but installers that have the potential to install all kinds of services and files in other places just feel less...clean. It often feels like an unnecessary deep intervention.
    - seanwilson 9y ago
      > So, I guess you also hate zip files too? No because ZIP files serve a completely different purpose so require a different workflow. > You didn't double click the app icon - you double clicked the container that contains the app you are about to open or move/install to your apps folder. I think the drag and drop approach to installing apps is as easy as it gets. Having a dialog walk you through the install is clearly requires less steps and less prior knowledge than having to teach the user they just opened a container and not an app (how would they know this?) and that they have to drag and drop to install. Have you tried installing an APK file on Android? You get asked if you want to install it and you're done.
zimpenfish 9y ago
This surely depends on how the author has packaged the app - I've installed 3 apps recently which came as `.pkg` files that popped up a "Installing this app" dialog (and then offered to put the `.pkg` in the trash when they was done.) Other apps come as a DMG which launches an installer; some are just DMGs with files to drag to Applications.
- seanwilson 9y ago
  I'm confused why Apple hasn't pushed for a simple default installer that most downloaded apps use then. It adds to user confusion as well when installers behave differently.
  - rarepostinlurkr 9y ago
    Like installing from some kind of store or someplace that sells software and provides a standard way to install/update/remove. Oh well.

sanbor 9y ago

You can just open the app without installing it.

seanwilson 9y ago
It's just not intuitive though is the point. You've already double clicked the app icon, now a window appears with the same icon that you have to double click again to launch it? I moved from Windows to Mac after a long time hearing about how great Apple usability was and I could never understand the logic behind the app install workflow.
- thirdsun 9y ago
  So, I guess you also hate zip files too? You didn't double click the app icon - you double clicked the container that contains the app you are about to open or move/install to your apps folder. I think the drag and drop approach to installing apps is as easy as it gets.
  - wor3q 9y ago
    And this awkwardness is why windows apps have installers instead of being distributed in zip files. Double click -> click install, way easier than dragging anything anywhere
    - thirdsun 9y ago
      Frankly, I prefer the ability to install and, almost more importantly, uninstall apps via drag and drop. I understand, it depends on the software, but installers that have the potential to install all kinds of services and files in other places just feel less...clean. It often feels like an unnecessary deep intervention.
  - seanwilson 9y ago
    > So, I guess you also hate zip files too? No because ZIP files serve a completely different purpose so require a different workflow. > You didn't double click the app icon - you double clicked the container that contains the app you are about to open or move/install to your apps folder. I think the drag and drop approach to installing apps is as easy as it gets. Having a dialog walk you through the install is clearly requires less steps and less prior knowledge than having to teach the user they just opened a container and not an app (how would they know this?) and that they have to drag and drop to install. Have you tried installing an APK file on Android? You get asked if you want to install it and you're done.

zimpenfish 9y ago

This surely depends on how the author has packaged the app - I've installed 3 apps recently which came as `.pkg` files that popped up a "Installing this app" dialog (and then offered to put the `.pkg` in the trash when they was done.) Other apps come as a DMG which launches an installer; some are just DMGs with files to drag to Applications.

seanwilson 9y ago
I'm confused why Apple hasn't pushed for a simple default installer that most downloaded apps use then. It adds to user confusion as well when installers behave differently.
- rarepostinlurkr 9y ago
  Like installing from some kind of store or someplace that sells software and provides a standard way to install/update/remove. Oh well.