Utilities vs. Apps- difference

Ha! Nice. So what about the non-Apple utilities that end up in the Utilities Folder, like all the Adobe crap that's ended up in mine? I assume that means 3rd party-developers can directly assign the Utilities folder as the install target with no problems?

Apple as well as the Mac users in this forum have no controls over what 3rd party developers put in the Applications -> Utilities folder.

As to why Apple put what it put in the Utilities folder, the Mac users of this forum can only guess.

Can I just move everything into the Apps folder and get rid of the Utilities folder altogether? Maybe just try the 'out of sight, out of mind' approach...

Moving Apple provided apps out of Applications -> Utilities is a bad idea, unless you NEVER want to apply an update or upgrade to your Mac, plus expect something to totally fail.

First, many updates and upgrades expect to find the standard Utilities in the Utilities folder.

Second, some services will automatically launch a Utility and not find them.

Third, an update/upgrade may put a new copy in the Utilities folder, and the older copy will be where ever you stored it. Then months later you launch the old utility and get upset because it does not do the advertised new feature because you are running an old copy, or worse the utility fails because some library the old utility depended on was updated, and now the old utility fails, and again you are upset.

If you want to access Applications and/or Utilities from some other folder, then create Mac OS X Aliases and store the Aliases where you want to find them. Much safer that way.

Message was edited by: BobHarris

Utilities are apps that Apple puts in the Applications/Utilities/ folder.

I'll just move everything into the Apps folder and get rid of the Utilities folder altogether.

I've found it easiest just to have two stacks, one for Apps, the second for the Utilities folder.

The Book was better (Catch-22).

And Woz had nothing to do with Mac OS X, so why would he come after you?