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One wonders why Apple didn't just treat DMGs like Application Folders in the first place. If they had an icon and you could run them directly then there wouldn'

One wonders why Apple didn't just treat DMGs like Application Folders in the first place. If they had an icon and you could run them directly then there wouldn't be any confusion. AppImage works like that and I think it was a wise decision.

Wowfunhappy 7y ago
Developers can distribute .app's inside of .zip files, and many do, but this can result in users just running the .app inside of their downloads folder. And then this causes problems if they ever decide to clean out their Downloads folder. The DMGs are a clever way to (A) make sure the app gets to the proper location while simultaneously (B) teaching the user about what's actually happening on their computer. As I said in a sibling comment, this all made much more sense when users also launched apps from the Applications folder directly.
- danieldk 7y ago
  Developers can distribute .app's inside of .zip files, and many do, but this can result in users just running the .app inside of their downloads folder. And then this causes problems if they ever decide to clean out their Downloads folder. Some applications offer to move themselves to the /Applications folder when started the first time outside /Applications or ~/Applications. Though in general, it would be better if Apple made it more attractive to publish in the App Store, since it brings other advantages (e.g. mandatory sandboxing).
  - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
    Yeah, and that's a fine solution given the situation Apple has left us in. But it's also kind of a hack, which shouldn't have become necessary. Also, personally, I sometimes purposefully put apps in places other than /Applications—for example, I like to keep games in their own Games folder. And then the dialogs are kind of annoying.
  - kelnos 7y ago
    Hell, why doesn't Finder do this? If you try to run a .app from a .dmg, it should pop up a dialog asking you if you want Finder to move it to /Applications for you and run it from there.
    - danieldk 7y ago
      I agree, that would be awesome!
- ksec 7y ago
  I thought some of these interaction was from a design where Apple wanted the Mac to be more appliance. I think the goal / target market has changed. The super easy to use Computer to use is now the iPad. Mac is now Prosumers and Professionals. And its UX should be treated as such.

Wowfunhappy 7y ago

Developers can distribute .app's inside of .zip files, and many do, but this can result in users just running the .app inside of their downloads folder. And then this causes problems if they ever decide to clean out their Downloads folder. The DMGs are a clever way to (A) make sure the app gets to the proper location while simultaneously (B) teaching the user about what's actually happening on their computer. As I said in a sibling comment, this all made much more sense when users also launched apps from the Applications folder directly.

danieldk 7y ago
Developers can distribute .app's inside of .zip files, and many do, but this can result in users just running the .app inside of their downloads folder. And then this causes problems if they ever decide to clean out their Downloads folder. Some applications offer to move themselves to the /Applications folder when started the first time outside /Applications or ~/Applications. Though in general, it would be better if Apple made it more attractive to publish in the App Store, since it brings other advantages (e.g. mandatory sandboxing).
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  Yeah, and that's a fine solution given the situation Apple has left us in. But it's also kind of a hack, which shouldn't have become necessary. Also, personally, I sometimes purposefully put apps in places other than /Applications—for example, I like to keep games in their own Games folder. And then the dialogs are kind of annoying.
- kelnos 7y ago
  Hell, why doesn't Finder do this? If you try to run a .app from a .dmg, it should pop up a dialog asking you if you want Finder to move it to /Applications for you and run it from there.
  - danieldk 7y ago
    I agree, that would be awesome!
ksec 7y ago
I thought some of these interaction was from a design where Apple wanted the Mac to be more appliance. I think the goal / target market has changed. The super easy to use Computer to use is now the iPad. Mac is now Prosumers and Professionals. And its UX should be treated as such.