The user's Applications folder. Gone. Why?

Question

The user's Applications folder. Gone. Why?

I needed to set up multiple users on a system today with a specific version of an app and thought it would be the perfect use of the user specific Applications folder.

You know. The applications folder that is inside your specific user directory.

But It's GONE.

Gone in Lion. Gone in Mountain Lion.

WHY? How? What's the alteranative?

It's changes like this that break long standing functionality that we have come to expect that make many of the changes in Lion and Mountain Lion simply enraging since we now need to spend more time to find another way to get a task done now that this functionalty is removed.

Mac OS 10.7.x

Posted on Nov 2, 2012 12:29 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 12:35 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

Create a new folder, rename it Applications, put it in the appropriate Home folder. Voila!!

The Home folder has never had an Applications folder unless one was created for just the purpose you want. There isn't really a need for it. If you install the application with the right privileges, then you can provide each user limited access to it via a managed account. Any user preferences and applications support files will be saved in each user's separate account. This eliminates the need to have multiple iterations of the same application.

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Answer 2

disguise

Level 2

452 points

Nov 2, 2012 12:40 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

This may help

OSX Lion User Application folder...: Apple Support Communities

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Answer 3

Nov 2, 2012 12:50 PM in response to Kappy

Since OS X has existed, it's always had an Applications Folder as long as I can remember.

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Answer 4

Nov 2, 2012 12:54 PM in response to disguise

Heh. Perfect. That's the exact discussion I just discovered. As least all sources are pointing to the same place. Thanks!

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 1:01 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

True, but not in the Home folder.

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Answer 6

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 1:06 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

Officially: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10939

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Answer 7

Nov 2, 2012 1:14 PM in response to Kappy

Well, I looked around and looked in my other user folders on several 10.6.8 boxes and the Applications folder is there in many users, but not for all, so this leads me to think that this is a supported folder, but an optional one at that.

No wonder I was confused.

Sure can be frustrating though.

Thanks Kappy.

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Answer 8

Nov 2, 2012 1:18 PM in response to Kappy

Actually, for the majority of use cases, there is no need for ~/Applications, but in many cases there are perfect needs for it.

I explicitly want to have different versions of the same app installed, one specific version for each user.

There can also be one or more user on one computer that has access to specific apps that everyone as a default do not have access to.

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Answer 9

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 1:32 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

Yes, it can. Officially, Apple docs going back to Leopard do not list an Applications folder as "standard" in the Home folder. That is precisely why I suggested creating a new folder and renaming it. It will acquire all the attributes of an Applications folder exclusively for the user.

I agree that if each user will have a different version of the software, then it needs to go into the Home folder.

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Answer 10

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,008 points

Nov 2, 2012 3:50 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

There are third party apps which will, for whatever strange reason, create an Applications folder in the user account when installed, or when updates are applied. This, even though they don't put a single item in the folder after creating it. I have at least one that does that, but I've never paid attention to which one (or more) are the culprits.

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Answer 11

Nov 2, 2012 4:05 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Hey Kurt. I think it's any app that uses the Apple installer where the user is allowed to select "install for this user" instead of "install for all users of this computer".

Since you have to enter an admin password if you're running an installer from a non admin account, sometimes, it's easier to select "Install for this user".

So, it might be any app where the installer allows this.

Thanks for the followup.

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Answer 12

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 6:26 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

I would seriously doubt that. i've never seen an "application" installed with such an option. I have seen that for preference panes and other utilities that can be installed separately for each user. But applications are always installed in the Applications folder so they may be used by all users unless it is excluded.

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Answer 13

Nov 2, 2012 6:32 PM in response to Kappy

Try it out. Create a new user and run an installer that allows you to install a version just for the current user.

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Answer 14

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 2, 2012 6:38 PM in response to Alex Zavatone

But I've never come across an application installer that provided such an option. When I was making installer packages that wasn't even an availble option in the packaging application. I've seen installers provide an option to install on a different drive or even install in a specific folder, but that's all I've ever seen.

In reality an applications folder in a user's Home folder is strictly used by the user for his/her own applications installed via Drag and Drop.

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Answer 15

Nov 2, 2012 7:08 PM in response to Kappy

Ok. Just looking through the .DMG files on my HD on my home mac, this option to "Install for Current User Only" exists in (at least) certain products from Rogue Amoeba, and Fan Control 1.2. It's not there for a lot of other products, but this is an option in some installers.

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