As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#1

Post by allenc » Tue, Aug 04, 2026, 3:46 AM UTC

As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program
unsung.aresluna.org

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#2

Post by al_borland » Tue, Aug 04, 2026, 4:30 AM UTC

I’ve always appreciated the effort and creativity developers put into making this a good experience, and a learning experience for new users. After all, you never know which app will be someone’s first install. A well made dmg was how I learned to install apps on OS X when I first moved to it 23 years ago.

Some developers have gotten lazy with this and expect users to just know. As a result I’ve seen many people running an app out of the dmg file itself for a long time, then they wonder why they have a bunch of stuff mounted.

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#3

Post by smallerize » Tue, Aug 04, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC

Is the quote in the title a reference to something?

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#4

Post by allenc » Tue, Aug 04, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

smallerize wrote: post #3

Is the quote in the title a reference to something?

Yeah, it's about how Windows has .msi installers, whereas for MacOS it's a .dmg where you copy the exec binary (which itself is a folder) into the /Applications folder.

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#5

Post by smallerize » Tue, Aug 04, 2026, 11:26 PM UTC

allenc wrote: post #4

smallerize wrote: post #3

Is the quote in the title a reference to something?

Yeah, it's about how Windows has .msi installers, whereas for MacOS it's a .dmg where you copy the exec binary (which itself is a folder) into the /Applications folder.

Ok but who said the quote?

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#6

Post by NordStreamYacht » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 4:46 AM UTC

Macs are fun.

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#7

Post by jackjeff » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 4:51 AM UTC

allenc wrote: post #4

smallerize wrote: post #3

Is the quote in the title a reference to something?

Yeah, it's about how Windows has .msi installers, whereas for MacOS it's a .dmg where you copy the exec binary (which itself is a folder) into the /Applications folder.

Or any folder. Most of my apps are in sub folders organized by category. :)

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#8

Post by herf » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 4:52 AM UTC

It's fine for installing, but uninstalling is madness: Windows uninstallers try to clean up all the registry and user profile stuff they install. Mac apps seem to just leave stuff behind in Local Settings or Caches forever? Containers are not such a bad idea.

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#9

Post by photios » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 5:08 AM UTC

NordStreamYacht wrote: post #6

Macs are fun.

Too bad nobody needs to eject a floppy disk anymore :D

Re: As a Windows user, it's a surreal way to install a program

#10

Post by mrunkel » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 5:17 AM UTC

smallerize wrote: post #5

allenc wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's about how Windows has .msi installers, whereas for MacOS it's a .dmg where you copy the exec binary (which itself is a folder) into the /Applications folder.

Ok but who said the quote?

It’s in TFA, but the post title is without the “very”