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Is there any disadvantage to cleaning up my Applications folder?


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Is there any disadvantage to cleaning up my Applications folder?
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neiltc13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
 
2006-07-08, 07:05

I don't know if the title makes clear what I'd like to do.

Basically, I want to arrange all of my applications into folders since it's pretty awkward going through a big list when I right click the Applications folder on my dock. So, for example, I'd like to put Safari, Firefox, Opera and Camino into a folder called Web Browsers inside the Applications folder and categorise all of my Applications like this.

However, I remember having trouble on my iBook when I moved Pages and Keynote out of the iWork folder. Software Update didn't like it and kept prompting me to update.

Is there any real disadvantage to doing this to my applications folder?
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-07-08, 07:12

None other than what you already pointed out - updates won't work.
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curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2006-07-08, 07:44

You could make a new folder called "myApps" or whatever, and fill it with Aliases to the actual Apps. You could then build whatever folder structure you wanted in it and just use aliases. Add myApps or whatever to your sidebar.

Allows for custom organization without borking the original apps when update time comes.

YMMV.

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
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WrestleEwe
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Utrecht NL
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2006-07-08, 11:28

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb
You could make a new folder called "myApps" or whatever, and fill it with Aliases to the actual Apps. You could then build whatever folder structure you wanted in it and just use aliases. Add myApps or whatever to your sidebar.

Allows for custom organization without borking the original apps when update time comes.

YMMV.
hehe... perhaps you can change the name of myApps to Start and give it a nice multicolored wobbly icon of a stylized window.

sorry, couldn't help myself.
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neiltc13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
 
2006-07-08, 11:46

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb
You could make a new folder called "myApps" or whatever, and fill it with Aliases to the actual Apps. You could then build whatever folder structure you wanted in it and just use aliases. Add myApps or whatever to your sidebar.

Allows for custom organization without borking the original apps when update time comes.

YMMV.
Thanks for this advice.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2006-07-08, 12:06

Anything installed/maintained with Apple's Installer / Software Update / .(m)pkg system won't work as expected when moved around. It's a pathetic holdover from NeXT, with absolute paths and all, when Mac OS has always had a far superior mechanism to find applications (and still does in X, through LaunchServices).

So, basically, don't move Apple apps around. For pretty much all third-party apps, though, no problem.
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BarracksSi
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2006-07-08, 23:23

I've only recently noticed that the Applications folder within my Home folder is completely EMPTY. I've always used the HD/Applications folder which sits in my Finder sidebar.

I could easily set up a bunch of aliases to applications and sub-organize them within "my own" Applications folder. I haven't bothered, though.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2006-07-08, 23:35

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarracksSi
I've only recently noticed that the Applications folder within my Home folder is completely EMPTY.
Actually, it doesn't exist per default, though it is recognized by the Finder when it does exist (the Finder applies the proper icon to it).
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funduk
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
 
2006-07-09, 00:38

Try quicksilver or launchbar and you can then simply type a few letters of the app and never even leave the keyboard!

Personally I prefer launchbar (religious issue) but have used quicksilver before I bought launchbar. As of now I keep 4 apps in my dock (finder, safari, mail and adium, since they're ALWAYS running it makes sense to have them there). The rest I launch by typing +Spacebar and typing, say, 'quic' for quicktime - 'gar' for garageband, 'xc' for xcode, 'mate' for textmate, 'tran' for transmission, 'mit' for transmit, and so on.

Give it a try, i dont care how my aps are organized in the apps folder since they're all a maximum of about 6 keystrokes away, takes far less time than mousing to any folder, regardless of how organized
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-07-09, 00:41

What about putting junks into the apps themselves (e.g. move related folder to the icon; right-click and open Package, then drop the related folder there)?
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World Leader Pretend
Ruling teh World
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-09, 01:43

Does anyone have a single folder on their desktop that they throw everything that accumulates naturally into? I just use it as a holding bin since I can use Quicksilver/Spotlight to find anything fast.
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BarracksSi
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2006-07-09, 05:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by funduk
Try quicksilver or launchbar and you can then simply type a few letters of the app and never even leave the keyboard!
Sounds like you're using a glorified version of Spotlight.

Lately, I've taken to having my Applications folder sitting open, then I can cmd-tab to the Finder, cmd-` to Apps, and type a couple letters to select whichever app I want.
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funduk
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
 
2006-07-12, 16:20

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarracksSi
Sounds like you're using a glorified version of Spotlight.
Pretty much, a much faster, made-for-application-launching, tons-of-extra-features version of spotlight... Also spotlight always seems to find useless stuff, i still use it occaisonally when I am looking for a specific file with specific contents, but as a launcher it falls horribly short.

If you're doing tab and then ` and then typing, why would you not want to cut that down to spc + typing... you're just being stubborn if you dont like taht idea Not only that but once you type a few chars to get the app you want (if it's in the root app folder and not in utilities, for example) you still have to move your hands again to type O to open it... That is not a good solution compared to quicksilver/launchbar.
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funduk
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
 
2006-07-12, 16:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
Does anyone have a single folder on their desktop that they throw everything that accumulates naturally into? I just use it as a holding bin since I can use Quicksilver/Spotlight to find anything fast.
I keep everything in subfolders of my home folder (since that's what it's for, afterall ) and quicksilver/spotlight finds it just as easily and I dont have things out in the open that can get accidentally deleted by friends
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