SSD Boot drive: not enough space questions

[diazj3]

Can I install/move some of the biggest and non-critical apps (e.g. games) outside the root Applications folder of the boot SSD - to my user folder in another drive? or should all applications reside in the SSD's applications folder?

Besides other users not being able to access some mac apps, and the backup of iOS apps.... what's the use for the Applications folder in the user's home folder? can any application be installed/moved there? other than a slower speed for being in a rotational HD, are there any negative consequences for apps being moved there?

thanks!

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Yep, there shouldn't be any problems. Just make sure not to move the applications from place to place: it *could* break some links to other files, prefs, settings, etc.

Loa

 

[SmilesLots]

The applications folder inside the user's folder is the product of some software, typically windows I think, creating that folder and placing it there. It is different from your root applications folder. Find out what application created it and decide if you want to keep that application on your SSD.

 

[Inconsequential]

The applications folder inside the user's folder is the product of some software, typically windows I think, creating that folder and placing it there. It is different from your root applications folder. Find out what application created it and decide if you want to keep that application on your SSD.

NO!

It has always always ALWAYS been there whenever I have installed OS X from scratch.

I've never seen anything in there either.

It's there so one user can have applications he or she doesn't want other users to access and yes apps work fine from there.

 

[Transporteur]

NO!

It has always always ALWAYS been there whenever I have installed OS X from scratch.

Are you sure about that?

Cause the standard applications folder is in / (root directory of boot drive) and not in the user's home folder (~).

I do have an Applications in my home folder, though. This one has been created by Parallels and includes Windows applications. But again, this is NOT the standard OS X applications folder.

Edit: If you don't believe me, check this link. There are hundreds of sources that explain that the Applications folder sits in / and not in ~.

 

[lars666]

I DON'T have "Applications" in my user folder. Just the normal one on Macintosh HD ...

 

[diazj3]

Thanks to all - it seem's there is no definitive answer, so I'll have to experiment a bit... I really don't want to break the bank by purchasing a big SSD (120GB is pricy enough). I would like to leave my audio and instrument libraries in the root library by moving non critical bulky games out to the user folder... we'll see.

On a side note, I think the user's applications folder gets created during the OSX installation, or at least with one of the OSX/iLife programs... I've never had a OSX installation without it.

cheers!

 

[Loa]

it seem's there is no definitive answe

For your situation, the answer is simple: if you don't want to risk it, don't separate the app from it's libraries and other associated files.

For example, I don't want to put my World of Warcraft on my SSD (it's too damn big). So it sits alone on a separate, non-booting volume made up of 4 disks in a RAID0 (it sits at root level, so don't even need an "Applications" folder).

Also, I have the game Portal in my **Home** folder's "Applications" folder (which is not on my SSD either), while its main app (Steam) sits in the main "Applications" folder of my boot volume (the SSD)!!!

Both games work flawlessly.

Right now I have 9 drives, arranged in 10 volumes both in and out of my Mac Pro. Every app works, regardless of which drive/volume I use to launch it. Again: once installed, don't separate the app from its related files.

Mac OS X is definitely more picky than the Classic Mac OS (OS9 and lower) ever were, but it's still tolerant enough.

Loa

P.S. My Home folder's "Applications" folder is present for all my users, has always been, and this Mac Pro has never seen any flavour of Windows, either through boot camp or emulation. Don't know why some of you guys don't have it: maybe you ran some cleaner programs that removed it?

 

[Danekero]

P.S. My Home folder's "Applications" folder is present for all my users, has always been, and this Mac Pro has never seen any flavour of Windows, either through boot camp or emulation. Don't know why some of you guys don't have it: maybe you ran some cleaner programs that removed it?

Brand new MP, so I can put an end to this.

No Applications folder in my "Users" folder, and no Applications folder in my User home. Just directly on my Macintosh HD.

 

[mjsmke]

My 2009 Mac pro has no applications folder in the home directory but my 2001 iMac running Leopard does (and has never had anything to do with windows).

 

[Inconsequential]

Are you sure about that?

Cause the standard applications folder is in / (root directory of boot drive) and not in the user's home folder (~).

I do have an Applications in my home folder, though. This one has been created by Parallels and includes Windows applications. But again, this is NOT the standard OS X applications folder.

Edit: If you don't believe me, check this link. There are hundreds of sources that explain that the Applications folder sits in / and not in ~.

Just made a new user on both my Mac Pro and MacBook Pro, both have Applications folders with an Apple style icon in the new users folder [empty it should be noted], and as I didn't login to either account (just looked into the users folder using mine) I can't see how an non-OS X app could have made them.

Also I just placed Safari, Mail, MSN and Lightroom into my users application folder [from the root App folder] and they all work perfectly *shrug*.

So why is there this difference between all of our machines?

PS: I'm also educated in the layout of the OS X file system

 

[Erasmus]

Mac OSX puts applications in your home folder when for whatever reason they are only authorised for use with a single user. Like Steam.

If you use Steam, you can move the whole thing (Steam + apps) to another disk, but check the correct method of doing this on the Steam forums.

You can move apps around. If they don't work for whatever reason, you can always move them back.

If you have iTunes music or movies on your SSD, copy them off, then go into iTunes preferences, where there is a checkbox somewhere that will stop iTunes copying stuff to your music folder when you add it, so you can have songs in iTunes that are actually on an external disk.

 

[SmilesLots]

On 6 of my Macs, I have an applications folder in the root directory with Mac apps. I also have an applications folder in the user directory with windows apps, very few, but they are there. They seem to have been created by Boot Camp, Parallels, or Crossover, or maybe even SL. But its purpose does appear to be for Windows.

 

[Inconsequential]

On 6 of my Macs, I have an applications folder in the root directory with Mac apps. I also have an applications folder in the user directory with windows apps, very few, but they are there. They seem to have been created by Boot Camp, Parallels, or Crossover, or maybe even SL. But its purpose does appear to be for Windows.

Why on earth would the user's application folder we used for *windows* apps?

Besides, my MacBook Pro had the folder *before* Bootcamp or VMware was installed.

 

[calderone]

On 6 of my Macs, I have an applications folder in the root directory with Mac apps. I also have an applications folder in the user directory with windows apps, very few, but they are there. They seem to have been created by Boot Camp, Parallels, or Crossover, or maybe even SL. But its purpose does appear to be for Windows.

Why on earth would the user's application folder we used for *windows* apps?

Besides, my MacBook Pro had the folder *before* Bootcamp or VMware was installed.

I will reference a post where I covered this very topic:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/10007664/

Starting with 10.5, you have the ability to install Applications to your home folder.

Why the CS5 installer is creating it? Who knows. You may want to make sure there are no hidden files. If it is empty, you can delete it.

Although, be aware that other installers in the future may re-create it. It is an Apple recognized location for Applications, so leaving it will do no harm.

It is very possible that VMWare and others are using this since VMs are by default per user. This is recognized by Apple though.