Users > Library folder

[djrod]

I store my user made photoshop brushes, etc. in the user library...

Background : I played w/ Lion (on another partition, but it also used my snow leopard user folder) to see if it would some system color issues I am having a certain app. I am not running Lion now, but I just discovered my user/library is now hidden due to Lion (as I realized it does this, digging around w/ google).

this terminal command(yes, I inserted my user name in): chflags nohidden /users/username/library - It did not work

I tried go to folder in the finder, no luck. I entered time machine for a backup (its there) but it wants to replace it(btw the dialogue comes up has the new Lion options though I am running snow leopard). I don't want to do that. I just want the current library folder visible!

Thank you for you help...

Edit/update:
Ironically I got help from Apple's forum (of course didn't take long w/ the "Lion" word and the warning that your user library - you know - where all your prefs, and where I put photoshop stuff- would go "poof" visibly w/ Lion.)... and the thread was removed. Command line in terminal was something like: chflags nohidden ~/Library then I (on my own move) entered "killall Finder" ( I saw in other threads). And eureka, there was my library, visually.

I get Apple's thinking here w/ Lion, but in practical terms -- it goes too far, hiding library in the user folder! How is one supposed to trash prefs for an app in Lion, as an example? Has this been moved to another folder besides user/library?

I store my brushes in the Photoshop brushes folder in Applications, no need to use the library folder

 

[kLy]

Using DP4 now and this has gotten worse

Now even with the folder unhidden it doesn't allow access and even if I try something like "open ~/Library/Preferences" the Finder doesn't give me access to it

Seriously? Is Apple going to go the way of Windows and treat its users like retarded children, spanking them every time they try to access the Windows or Program Files folder?

Any workarounds?

 

[slb]

I think a lot of people just purchased a Mac Dev license so they could get the dev preview of lion

Or they pirated it. I love all the threads criticizing performance and other incomplete features, as if developer previews are legitimate releases intended for everyday use by the public.

 

[baryon]

Is it possible to make an alias to the hidden Library folder, and then pretend the Alias is just the Library folder and that's it?

I do find it very stupid that they made it hidden: All of my Saves from my Steam games, Minecraft and other stuff are kept there. I often need to access the folder (on a daily basis) for this reason. That's also where my Crossover Wine Bottles are kept, which is full of stuff I often need to delete, modify, etc...

I often have to install/uninstall fonts, as we know OS X is extremely unstable when it comes to fonts and they cause huge problems when they randomly get corrupt, so often the only solution is to convert OTF fonts to TTF or vice versa, or delete them altogether.

When uninstalling an app in OS X, you drag it from the Applications folder to the trash. However, it won't delete all the junk it left User/Library. You have to go there and manually delete it.

Last week I realized that Bridge CS4 (that I uninstalled 2 years ago) left 4 GB of junk cache files in the Library, so I had to manually delete that.

Accessing the Library folder is crucial for the health of your computer. I will definitely create a shortcut if it's possible, which I think is less elegant and is a "workaround", but it's no big deal really, just stupid that it has to be done.

 

[kLy]

The easiest is to make a shortcut to the hidden Library folder and put it where you'd expect it to be in the first place. The only difference is that it'll have an arrow on the icon.

Awesome that worked! omg, this is soooo stooped tho! grr!

 

[rmbrown09]

I asked this same exact question a month or two back. I got the same, you're a dev and....

No lol I am not a dev. I am a freshman in college trying to get a degree in comp sci. There are a lot of Lion users on this forum that are far from devs.

I would remember this day though folks, because the user set now is somewhat advanced, once we get Lion released to the public... Instead of using chflags in terminal to unhide something seeming noobish well have people asking how to delete a space or find system info.

 

[Riemann Zeta]

Boo Apple! They seem to be desperate to eliminate the versatile and powerful nature of the OS that has made OS X so great for professional users. I guess they intended Lion to be the death of Mac OS as a viable workstation OS. Wonder how long it takes them to eliminate the concept of a human-readable filesystem altogether and move to the hidden pseudorandom 256bit UUID file naming scheme of iOS?

 

[Hildron101010]

Library

Using DP4 now and this has gotten worse

Now even with the folder unhidden it doesn't allow access and even if I try something like "open ~/Library/Preferences" the Finder doesn't give me access to it

Seriously? Is Apple going to go the way of Windows and treat its users like retarded children, spanking them every time they try to access the Windows or Program Files folder?

Any workarounds?

It's in the same location for me. I just typed: ~/Library into the Go To dialogue and I got into it. Then I just CMD+Option dragged the proxy out of the window to make an alias in my Home folder.

 

[xgman]

It also seems like Lion is asking for your password way more on mundane things like moving files, etc. than Slow Lep ever did.

 

[mrapplegate]

It also seems like Lion is asking for your password way more on mundane things like moving files, etc. than Slow Lep ever did.

When is it doing this? The only time it should is if you are trying to move from a system folder.

 

[kLy]

Great! A simple chflags works again in the GM. Thank goodness, I really couldn't stand having to work through a symlink.

 

[Jagardn]

Apple probably hid the Library folder because people keep touching things they really shouldn't. It's probably the cause for most of the problematic app threads on this site.

 

[baryon]

Apple probably hid the Library folder because people keep touching things they really shouldn't. It's probably the cause for most of the problematic app threads on this site.

Yeah, but the only problem is that the Library contains user stuff: That's where Minecraft puts its Saves and customization packs, and that's also where Steam puts its Saves and Mods. If you want to play a Steam Mod, the official way to install it is to copy it into the Library/Application Support/Steam/whatever folder. So this is going to cause a LOT of trouble for people who aren't very techy, and those who just want to play an official game. I imagine there are a hell of a lot more apps that require doing stuff in Library.

I think that Library shouldn't be hidden. If someone doesn't know what it is, and they do stuff they aren't instructed to inside, well, that's their problem. The same way they shouldn't drop their computer or go swimming with their phone in their pocket. That's not a reason to make the phone waterproof.

The Library is far from "purely system stuff you shouldn't touch". If you uninstall an App on a Mac, you generally drag and drop it into the trash from the Applications folder. Now what happens with all the Gigabytes of crap files it dumped into Library/Application Support? You have to go and manually delete those. If you don't, no wonder your hard drive will fill up with stuff you won't ever use, as things like Adobe Bridge's cache files are kept in there, and don't get removed even if you use the official uninstaller!

Having the Library hidden is yet another stupid move from Apple. It's almost as stupid as having to buy Snow Leopard, install it, just to be able to download and install Lion for Leopard users...