How to install a Mac application

For those that are familiar with windows installation or do not download much software, this is a question that might stump you. you get this DMG file and you stare at it clueless, what to do next? Instinctively you double click it, and something happens, now what? it opens a folder with the application in it, what do I do next?

For the purpose of understanding, in this article, I am using our DMG File as a sample to illustrate the point. You can get it from this link here

When you click on the link above, it will ask you to either save the DMG file or it will open the DMG file for you. If you save it, double click to open it. You shall be presented with a window like so,

Now, most of the professional installers are supposed to have a custom screen with instructions and even a ReadMe document. As you can see, there is a custom background for OZ Apps and the Right hand side corner states that this is the Installation media for Corona Code Generator and the support URL is listed, which is our website and then the email addresses and the twitter handle. Below are two icons, the application itself and a shortcut to Applications with instructions suggesting that drag the file onto the Applications folder.

Installation on a Mac is sometimes just that simple. For other DMG files that do not have custom backdrops and instructions, the process is similar, drag the applications from the window to Applications or the desktop.

One small request, NEVER run the app from inside the DMG, it can function most of the times, but it can fail. So always copy it to Applications or the desktop before you run it.

Hope you did learn something, The Lovely DMG backdrop art will soon become history with the Mac App Store, you shall never get to see a DMG again, most of the apps shall be installed via the Mac App Store.

DID YOU KNOW that Microsoft tried to implement a similar thing called an Active Desktop which was introduced with Internet Explore 4.0 and Windows 95. This was supposed to provide the classic view or the Customised view of the folder, mainly for Installations, Manufacturers could use a custom display coded in HTML that could blur the distinction between the desktop and the internet. So in theory, you could get a folder from a manufacturer with live links to their website sections, it could download an image of the product and so on. It did not live long, but folder customisation remained and is not used as much as anticipated.