osx has registry like windows?

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discoverdiscover
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a mac after many years in the PC world, I have all pc software etc etc.



I hear that mac's under osx now have a system registry like windows? obviously this is one of the reasons for all viruses to propogate.



Is there any truth in this statement, or does osx run programs still in its individual folders like I have seen os9 do on a friends computer.



Thanks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    there is no registry. the closest thing is NetInfo, which is a database of users, network settings and such, but its not nearly as dangerous as the registry; its really all that analagous either. and don't worry about viruses. there aren't any for mac. well, many programs do touch and edit files outside of their directory (like many programs put preferences and caches inside your home folder).
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  • Reply 2 of 17
    extras.rsrcextras.rsrc Posts: 76member
    Applications are still (usually) in the Applications folder, a lot of software in OS X now comes as a self contained package. There is a folder for your software's preference files, but it is not a registry.



    edit: Freak beat me to it. I forgot to mention the viruses (or lack there of).
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  • Reply 3 of 17
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Mac OS X has nothing even closely related to the registry. Applications do not need to be in any sort of database like that to run. Personal settings are stored in individual files (named Property Lists) on a per-app basis in the user's Preferences directory.



    Mac OS X, in fact, is better than OS 9 in running self-contained applications. Most apps today have no support files outside of the app icon itself. Everything is stored invisibly in a "bundle" that essentially is the app's icon.



    When I launch Safari, for example, I just double click its icon. If I really want to examine it, though, I'll find that there are dozens of TIFs, ICNs, NIBs, language support folders, and other support files all self-contained in that bundle.



    This makes moving around apps stupidly easy and removes any risk of forgetting or losing any support files.



    So, in short, there is no truth at all your original statement.
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  • Reply 4 of 17
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    It also makes removing applications stupidly easy. There is no uninstaller mechanism on MacOS X because you *don't need one*.



    Just drag the application to the Trash. That's it.
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  • Reply 5 of 17
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Oh yes, uninstalling!



    So many people ask about uninstalling that I made a short video explaining, in detail, how to uninstall an app such as Microsoft Internet Explorer from your Mac.



    http://brad.project-think.com/movies/uninstalling.mov (835 KB, requires QuickTime to play)



    Try doing that for IE on Windows.
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  • Reply 6 of 17
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    I cannot comprehend on people having to run an "uninstaller" app on any program unless it is a program that is not a bundle. I guess in Windowsland they do things differently...hmmm.. Windowsland



    W_nd___land....





    Wonderland....



    Odd connections arise... to the microfilm Morris!
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  • Reply 7 of 17
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Brad

    Oh yes, uninstalling!



    So many people ask about uninstalling that I made a short video explaining, in detail, how to uninstall an app such as Microsoft Internet Explorer from your Mac.



    http://brad.project-think.com/movies/uninstalling.mov (835 KB, requires QuickTime to play)



    Try doing that for IE on Windows.



    Make that secure empty trash and sell it to Apple for promotion
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  • Reply 8 of 17
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    Make that secure empty trash and sell it to Apple for promotion



    And make the computer dance after the trash is empty.
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  • Reply 9 of 17
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Nebagakid

    I cannot comprehend on people having to run an "uninstaller" app on any program unless it is a program that is not a bundle. I guess in Windowsland they do things differently...hmmm.. Windowsland



    It's all about the expectations. People learn to expect the need for wizards/installers/uninstallers, for spelunking into weird places like the registry or other folders of gobbledygook [that word is in OS X's dictionary ], for installing all sorts of utilities and utilities for the utilities, for reinstalling the system at the first sign of trouble, that they just can't do things and they have to walk on eggshells around their computer.



    Mac users are the same way really. People can make their lives harder by trying to manage their iPhoto catalog via the Finder, trying to manage their extensions (no such things in OS X), trying to allocate memory for an app, deleting stuff from the System folder or rebooting every four hours. OS X has its own gobbledygook but it's mostly hidden and pointless to mine anyway. It has its share of "why isn't this easier" stuff too, just not as much.
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  • Reply 10 of 17
    gabidgabid Posts: 477member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Nebagakid

    I cannot comprehend on people having to run an "uninstaller" app on any program unless it is a program that is not a bundle. I guess in Windowsland they do things differently...hmmm.. Windowsland



    W_nd___land....





    Wonderland....



    Odd connections arise... to the microfilm Morris!



    A guess blended with a question here: might uninstaller apps take care of files like preferences? I'm pretty sure when I drag and app tp the trask the .plist files linger about.
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  • Reply 11 of 17
    bigsbigs Posts: 12member
    Ok, you remove applications by dragging it's bundle to the Trash Can, which is great. But many leave their preferences in ~/Library/Preferences or even their own directories in ~/Library and some even install libraries in various other places.

    A sidenote here is that most uninstallers on the Windows platform don't take care of stuff like that either
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  • Reply 12 of 17
    proud ibook owner 2k2proud ibook owner 2k2 Posts: 1,011member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bigs

    Ok, you remove applications by dragging it's bundle to the Trash Can, which is great. But many leave their preferences in ~/Library/Preferences or even their own directories in ~/Library and some even install libraries in various other places.

    A sidenote here is that most uninstallers on the Windows platform don't take care of stuff like that either



    Also don't forget about the Application Support folders. Apps such as Direct Connect store their settings in there. They can easily be deleted as well... Man oh man I'd be using Linux if Stevey made OS X have a registry... but since he didn't I'm happy. ^_~
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  • Reply 13 of 17
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Proud iBook Owner 2k2

    Also don't forget about the Application Support folders. Apps such as Direct Connect store their settings in there. They can easily be deleted as well... Man oh man I'd be using Linux if Stevey made OS X have a registry... but since he didn't I'm happy. ^_~



    Well atleast you put linux ahead of Windows...
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  • Reply 14 of 17
    bartobarto Posts: 2,246member
    Why is there Application Support folders in Mac OS X anyway? I've never "got" why the various Preferences folders can't be used for everything.



    The Final Cut Pro suite needs files from the Application Support folder to run. Bad Apple. Clean up your mess.



    Barto
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  • Reply 15 of 17
    proud ibook owner 2k2proud ibook owner 2k2 Posts: 1,011member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by \\/\\/ickes

    Well atleast you put linux ahead of Windows...



    lol Yep. I always think higher of Linux than Windows. It's closer to OS X than Windows is. I'm running a server on Linux and its got a very high uptime. Its been up 67 days, 15 hours, and 16 minutes and it hasn't slowed down in the least bit. I'd like to see Windows (any flavor) do that as well....
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  • Reply 16 of 17
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Barto

    Why is there Application Support folders in Mac OS X anyway? I've never "got" why the various Preferences folders can't be used for everything.



    The Final Cut Pro suite needs files from the Application Support folder to run. Bad Apple. Clean up your mess.



    Barto



    Well, why not put all the fonts in Preferences as well? I know that is an exaggeration, but Application Support is for files that do not go in a bundle, such as themes for instance. Preferences is supposed to be for ONLY those xml files for preferences (and of course older formats). I mean, at least they simplified the Applications folder and root level of the HD in Mac OS X. But, the next step is trying to get people to keep stuff in folders in your documents folder, and pictures in your pictures folder, and not on your desktop. Gah, the desktop, how evil it can become.
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  • Reply 17 of 17
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    *In general*, the files in ~/Library/Preferences/ are for setting various, well, preferences in an application.



    ~/Library/Application Support/ is for things that are *not* preferences, such as the themes Nebagakid mentioned. A quick peek in there shows things like download folders for P2P apps (/tmp isn't an option since that gets deleted every reboot), temporary files for various editors, and basically anything app-specific that isn't a font, a preference, a framework, or other item that fits into one of the other Library folders. (Hint to MBU: Microsoft User Data should go in there, *NOT* in Documents, you twits.)



    And no, dragging an app bundle to the Trash doesn't get rid of the automagically, but they're obviously named and easily identifiable by the user.



    Unlike Registry voodoo.
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