DMG install behaviour

Audacity Help Forum macOS
1

Split from: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/au-plugins-buggy-in-2-0-5-not-in-2-0-0-os-10-6-8/35155/3

Just downloaded 2.0.6-alpha.

Something I’ld like to bring to attention concerning using the .dmg method of install is I had an issue with dragging the Audacity folder onto the alias “Application” folder within the mounted dmg open window interface. This time it didn’t install at all. I’ve noticed in previous dmg version installs including this one that the Audacity folder icon uses the same “Audacity” name as the existing folder residing in the root (Macintosh HD level) “Application” folder. My user name account folder has a duplicate “Application” folder but it is empty.

What I’ve been doing in the past is renaming the previous “Audacity” folders inside the root level “Application” folder by their number versions (i.e. Audacity 2.0, Audacity 2.0.5) then dragging the dmg interface “Audacity” folder to the alias “Application” folder. With 2.0.6 it won’t install this way. I had to directly drag the dmg “Audacity” folder to the “Application” folder icon seen when opening Macintosh HD root level window.

Another oddity during installs is I’m suppose to get the warning to replace, rename or cancel from Mac Finder when dragging an item into a folder where there is another item of the same name and file type as in the “Audacity” folder but I never got this warning. I would now have two folders in the Application folder named “Audacity”. Now with 2.0.6 it didn’t even install or give a warning. I had to first rename the existing “Audacity” folders as I’ve indicated above, drag the dmg “Audacity” folder where I got the warning “You’re about to install an app downloaded from the internet. Do you want to proceed”, after clicking OK a transfer progress bar indicates 2.0.6 is installing. It’s now installed.

From what I’ve indicated I can see why some folks may be having issues with Mac installs. This is very unusual dmg install behavior.

2

The DMG’s for 2.0.5 release and until recently 2.0.6-alpha didn’t have an alias to /Applications inside the DMG. Where is the alias of the /Applications folder that you are dragging to? Did you create that alias?

Are you still on OS X 10.6.8? On 10.9.4 I can drag the “Audacity” folder from the 2.0.5 or latest 2.0.6-alpha DMG to the Applications icon in the “Favorites” tree on the left of Finder, and if /Applications already contains a folder called “Audacity” then Mac warns about it.

Have you tried this with other folders with identical names?

In what way unusual - because the installation is a folder and not an app with self-contained resources?

Are you saying that the supplied “Audacity” folder in the DMG should have a version number? I am not a Mac-only user but I thought no-version-number was more common on Mac?


Gale

3

The DMG’s for 2.0.5 release and until recently 2.0.6-alpha didn’t have an alias to /Applications inside the DMG. Where is the alias of the /Applications folder that you are dragging to? Did you create that alias?

Please excuse my inaccurate use of the word “alias” and replace with “Shortcut”, see screengrab…
DMG_appshortcut.png

Are you still on OS X 10.6.8? On 10.9.4 I can drag the “Audacity” folder from the 2.0.5 or latest 2.0.6-alpha DMG to the Applications icon in the “Favorites” tree on the left of Finder, and if /Applications already contains a folder called “Audacity” then Mac warns about it.

Have you tried this with other folders with identical names?

Still on OS 10.6.8 set to 64 bit (Rosetta installed) on a 2010 Mac Mini.

I got the “Replace” warning dragging a identically named folder to both “Application” folder in Macintosh HD and in the Dock. I don’t use “Favorites” tree.

In what way unusual - because the installation is a folder and not an app with self-contained resources?

Are you saying that the supplied “Audacity” folder in the DMG should have a version number? I am not a Mac-only user but I thought no-version-number was more common on Mac?

Unusual in that I didn’t get a “Replace” warning dragging the DMG “Audacity” folder onto its “Application” folder “shortcut” AND in the Finder’s “Application” folder in the Dock and actual “Macintosh HD” root level “Application” folder. Also the folder didn’t even install where as in Audacity 2.0.5 it did, but again I didn’t get a “Replace” warning. I had two folders identically named “Audacity” in my Application folder-that’s extremely unusual.

In short it seems the downloaded “Audacity” DMG GUI user implemented actions on my system is not being seen or updated by the Finder so I don’t know if supplying an “Audacity” folder in the DMG with a specific version number would help. I’m not even sure if this is an incident specific only to my system. I’m not a programmer. I found an Audacity DMG install workaround and now it works.

Just to clarify I’ve never had any problems with my 2010 Mac Mini/OS 10.6.8 or app installs both “Package” and DMG types since I bought the system new off Amazon. No problems with installs of non-Creative Cloud, paid perpetual license Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom, Flash updates, Google Chrome, Firefox and other small special interest/demo apps downloaded from several different internet sites. I’ve run a virus detection app of my entire HD about a month ago using “Avast” and my system came out clean.

Thanks for your help, Gale.

-Tim

4

The /Applications folder there is properly an “alias” - but we call it a shortcut to be user-friendly.

But as I said, only recent 2.0.6-alpha installers will have the alias inside the DMG.

OK, but I just tested in the latest 2.0.6-alpha installer by double-clicking the DMG (so I see the contents as in your posted image), then dragging the “Audacity” folder to the “Applications” folder. I get the overwrite warning when I already have an “Audacity” folder in /Applications.

I’ll ask the person who built the installer to see if he can test an older Mac, but that is all I can do.

You could try Go > Utilities > Disk Utility in Finder then run “Verify Disk” and “Repair Permissions”.


Gale

5

The new installer has now been tested on 10.6.8 and no problems that you describe were found.


Gale

6

Just downloaded and installed the latest DMG nightly build of Audacity 2.0.6.0 dated August 18, 2014. The latest versions for Mac are the ZIP files with the most recent dated August 22, 2014 which I also downloaded just for good measure.

I did the drag and drop within the DMG interface and it worked with Audacity opening and functioning with no problems and the AU plugins work without fail.

To clarify I now have one folder in the Application folder named “Audacity”. The other previous version folders (for 2.0, 2.0.5, 2.0.6alpha) have their folder file name changed accordingly to reflect the Audacity version downloaded so I didn’t test for a “Replace” warning on this latest DMG installer.

So in the future just to reduce OS GUI navigation issues to determine which Audacity folder has the most recent updated version on my end, I’m going to custom name them as I’ve mentioned above. Having 4 folders in my Application folder named “Audacity” is just too confusing and time consuming to determine the most updated version.

But really this has all been a minor issue at least on my end. I’ve never had or have problems with functionality in Audacity. Not one crash, sudden quit or force quit with all versions. I wish I could say that of Adobe Bridge and my SilkyPix Raw converter that came with my Pentax DSLR.

7

Just FYI and further confirmation that the current DMG as of August 18, 2014 gives “Replace” warning.

Tested this by reinstalling twice by dragging the DMG Audacity folder onto the “Blessed” Application folder within Macintosh HD and a second time dragging it within the DMG interface onto the Application shortcut.

Of course I didn’t rename “Audacity” folder from the first install which invoked the “Replace” warning. All is working well.

8

Thanks for testing.

I am not keen to propound that the “Audacity” folder in the DMG should carry a version number. No other apps or app folders on my Mac have a version number, so having such could upset Mac purists.


Gale

9

It’s my first testing of an app. It was fun and interesting.

Mac user posts here seem mixed on whether this overwriting of the previous Audacity folder version is wanted once it gets replaced by dragging and dropping on the Application folder. But then users do have the option of installing the Audacity folder anywhere on their HD which would prevent overwriting older versions.

I had a hard time finding out how to uninstall the previous versions of Audacity since I won’t be using them until I came across a thread where you said just drag the folder to the trash. I did that and it worked but I always feel I need to check first what plugins will get thrown away.

What’s good about this easy uninstall is that the Audacity Preferences remain for use with newer versions. But on the flip side what’s not clear uninstalling this way is figuring out which of the plugins have to be reinstalled or can’t be used because either the new Audacity version isn’t compatible with plugins that worked in older versions or… newer, better functioning versions of the plugins now replace the old ones.

Just a note about 2.0.5 in that there is a 10MB “Languages” folder within the Audacity container folder. 2.0.6 and 2.0 don’t have this folder.

10

If you overwrite the old Audacity folder, older versions of plug-ins shipped with Audacity will automatically get updated. All other plug-ins will be deleted, including any Audacity plug-ins that are no longer provided with the new version.

However only third-party Nyquist plug-ins (NY extension) will necessarily be removed by the new installation, because Mac users can put VST, Audio Units, LADSPA, LV2 and VAMP plug-ins in system locations (and must do so for all of those except VST).

On Windows the Audacity installer can be set by us to remove plug-ins that are no longer shipped, but otherwise plug-ins that are not shipped in the new installation are left in the plug-ins folder.

Thanks for mentioning that. 2.0 should have that folder. 2.0.6-alpha and 2.0.6 release will not have the Languages folder because the language files have been moved inside the Audacity.app bundle in order that the Audacity menu bar can be fully translated.


Gale