a question about Applications folder!

There are two Applications folders, one at the root directory (Macintosh HD--also denoted as /) and one inside each user's home folder (kaganvaroglum). The main one is where Most Applications should be. If you have an application that only one user can use, you'd install it in that user's Applications folder. But, by default, each user's Applications folder will be empty.
The applications you see in the Sidebar is located at /Applications, not /Users/kaganvaroglum/Applications.

I wonder if there a particular 3rd-party installer that silently generates the home/Applications folder that many people have. None of my own user home folders have an Applications folder, and the home folder of a newly created test user account doesn't have one either.

It isn't in the system default user template:
---------------------------
$ sudo ls -l /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj
Password:
total 0
-rw------- 1 root wheel 3 Jul 24 2007 .CFUserTextEncoding
drwx------+ 3 root wheel 102 Jun 18 2009 Desktop
drwx------+ 4 root wheel 136 Jun 18 2009 Documents
drwx------+ 4 root wheel 136 Jun 18 2009 Downloads
drwx------+ 20 root wheel 680 Jun 18 2009 Library
drwx------+ 3 root wheel 102 Jun 18 2009 Movies
drwx------+ 3 root wheel 102 Jun 18 2009 Music
drwx------+ 4 root wheel 136 Nov 4 2009 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x+ 4 root wheel 136 Jun 18 2009 Public
drwxr-xr-x+ 5 root wheel 170 Nov 4 2009 Sites

-------------------------

I don't know. It does seem a little strange. When I upgraded my 24" iMac to SL, no such folder appeared, but when I bought a new MacBook back in August, the ~/Applications folder was present.

No use to me so I trashed it.

If you create a new account on the MacBook, does the new account have one?

No idea, and can't be *ssed trying!

I don't know what that stands for, but it doesn't sound good! 😉

I maintain an external "test clone" volume in addition to my regular backup clones, and I boot from the test clone for all my tinkering - that way I never screw up my internal HD. When I'm done messing around, I just re-mirror the clone.

In this case, I'm off work with a repiratory illness and working on the iMac. I'm not inclined to play around too much at the moment! Maybe later...

I also find this "extra" Application folder with nothing in it on my brand new Macbbook Pro running 10.6.5 but not on my iMac which has been upgraded to 10.6.5.

Whilst not a major problem it is slightly annoying.

Was the account that has its own Applications folder transferred to the new MBP from a prior Mac via SetUp Assistant or Migration Assistant? If you create a new user account on the MBP, does it also have its own Applications folder?

This has been a mystery for me too. I have been using OS X since 10.1.4 on three different Macs. Never once have I had an Applications folder created inside any of my user accounts. But it seems that many other users do have one. I had always assumed that people create it on their own. Perhaps some third party program is creating it for them and people are assuming it's a standard part of a new user account.

Creating a new account doesn't make one, and neither do Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant, on either Leopard or Snow Leopard.

I think you're right, though, that it must be some 3rd-party app; too many folks have one and don't recall making it.

No - The set up was done on a new macbook pro without transferring anything from any other machine. I haven't tried setting up other accounts to see if they also get Applications Folders.

Further investigation of the forums reveals that this additional Application Folder seems to be a common "feature" and as it causes no problem I will just leave it where it is and ignore it.

As it does not appear on my iMac which was upgraded to Snow Leopard I can but presume that the additional Applications Folder only happens with a complete brand new installation of Snow leopard on a new machine. I guess this is just one of life's little anomolies.

Message was edited by: Chris Lord

It's not an "anomaly" of any practical import, but I think it is a real curiosity!
One last question - did your MBP come with any "pre-installed" software other than iLife?

Chris Lord wrote:
No - The set up was done on a new macbook pro without transferring anything from any other machine. I haven't tried setting up other accounts to see if they also get Applications Folders.

Here's two more wrinkles:

I just did a fresh install of SL to an empty partition, and set up a user (no transfer). That user does not have an Applications folder in its home folder.

However . . . that's from an original 10.6.0 disc. Perhaps it's changed since then?

On my usual 10.6.5 system:

• If I create a new user, there's no Applications folder in the home folder.
  
• If I create an Applications folder in my home folder, it has the special icon, just like the one in /Applications.
  |
  Curiouser and curiouser. 😉