On 10 Mar 2006, at 4:01 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:

To Mac users: didn't the Mac used to have simple installations where
the app was just copied into a directory and run from there, with no
outside dependencies?

Still does, for the most part. Some apps (like, ironically, MS Office for OS X) will even install required system-level components for you if they are missing when you launch the app.

Has this changed with OS X?

Actually, OS X has many *more* apps that are capable of running from any directory, with no dependencies, because OS X doesn't use OS 9's terrible "extentions" scheme.

However, some apps (like Finale) obviously depend on custom fonts an/ or hardware registration, and others won't run without certain required items in the "Application Support" folder.

It's really only the copy protection issue that makes MacFinale portability a problem. If you had unlimited registrations and always had admin-level permissions (required in order to install fonts), you could certainly run MacFin from a thumb drive or external HD. Also, Macs can be booted from a FireWire HD, which would solve the font problem and preserve your prefs, etc -- I'm curious, can you boot a WinTel box using a FW or USB 2.0 HD?

- Darcy
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://secretsociety.typepad.com
Brooklyn, NY


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