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Applications install. It could be really simple, but it's definitely not obvious: With Windows, you go through the installer. With Linux, you (often) go throug

Applications install. It could be really simple, but it's definitely not obvious: With Windows, you go through the installer. With Linux, you (often) go through the command line. Mac: drag somewhere, run. Where'd it go? Where do other users find it? The completeness of the installer packages also varies. They don't tell you drag to the same place. Comfort with all these quirks, regardless of OS, are highly habit-dependent. Once you really know what's going on, that OS is your "answer." To me, the issue in the article is merely about conversion and new customers.

DougBTX 17y ago
> Where'd it go? I know you didn't mean it like this, but this is actually an interesting question. On Windows, the files probably went into the Program Files directory, but if you try to go there in Windows explorer, you get a "these are system files, keep out" warning. Which is quite correct, you wouldn't expect an end user to open an application from Program Files, there will probably be a bunch of unrelated exes to distract you. So where is it? I guess the answer is "in the start menu". People probably believe that abstraction, to the point that MS had to put a "this is just a shortcut, you need to use add remove programs to actually delete the application" message. Package managers, much the same story. Where are the binaries? In a versioned repository somewhere, on mac ports somewhere under /opt/local. How do you run them? Type their name in the command line, often you ignore where the files actually are. And finally, back to OS X itself. How do you install an application? Drag it into the applications directory. Where is it? It's in Applications. How do you run it? Go to Applications and double click on it. The only case I've pointed to where the answers to "how do I install it", "where is it" and "how do I run it" end up in the same place, the Applications directory, is where you point out a usability issue. User interface design is hard! My guess is it comes down to expectations. "Go to the Applications folderand click on the application I want to run? It can't possibly be that simple!" and then spend 15 minutes looking for a pull down menu to launch the application.
- whacked_new 17y ago
  Yup, expectations is right. When I started out, I was dragging apps to the dock and the desktop -- and they worked! I did this even to huge packages (100+ MB) and they just worked with no process. It was mysterious, almost disconcerting. And if I did things this way, other users didn't know where to find them. Then you have other packages which launch the installer. As longwinded as they are, they give me a sense of control and make me feel more comfortable even if the same process is happening. You can tell that I'm a latecomer to the OS X scene; frankly still don't know where the apps are going, but because it is hidden from me already, I don't want to bother. I always launch with spotlight and I have only opened the Applications folder once. MacPorts was also highly confusing: you get a second Python. OpenCV installs to the system, PIL installs to ports. Now I'm sure there's a way to do so-and-so, but coming from w32/linux, it's just download, install.

DougBTX 17y ago

> Where'd it go? I know you didn't mean it like this, but this is actually an interesting question. On Windows, the files probably went into the Program Files directory, but if you try to go there in Windows explorer, you get a "these are system files, keep out" warning. Which is quite correct, you wouldn't expect an end user to open an application from Program Files, there will probably be a bunch of unrelated exes to distract you. So where is it? I guess the answer is "in the start menu". People probably believe that abstraction, to the point that MS had to put a "this is just a shortcut, you need to use add remove programs to actually delete the application" message. Package managers, much the same story. Where are the binaries? In a versioned repository somewhere, on mac ports somewhere under /opt/local. How do you run them? Type their name in the command line, often you ignore where the files actually are. And finally, back to OS X itself. How do you install an application? Drag it into the applications directory. Where is it? It's in Applications. How do you run it? Go to Applications and double click on it. The only case I've pointed to where the answers to "how do I install it", "where is it" and "how do I run it" end up in the same place, the Applications directory, is where you point out a usability issue. User interface design is hard! My guess is it comes down to expectations. "Go to the Applications folderand click on the application I want to run? It can't possibly be that simple!" and then spend 15 minutes looking for a pull down menu to launch the application.

whacked_new 17y ago
Yup, expectations is right. When I started out, I was dragging apps to the dock and the desktop -- and they worked! I did this even to huge packages (100+ MB) and they just worked with no process. It was mysterious, almost disconcerting. And if I did things this way, other users didn't know where to find them. Then you have other packages which launch the installer. As longwinded as they are, they give me a sense of control and make me feel more comfortable even if the same process is happening. You can tell that I'm a latecomer to the OS X scene; frankly still don't know where the apps are going, but because it is hidden from me already, I don't want to bother. I always launch with spotlight and I have only opened the Applications folder once. MacPorts was also highly confusing: you get a second Python. OpenCV installs to the system, PIL installs to ports. Now I'm sure there's a way to do so-and-so, but coming from w32/linux, it's just download, install.