More: Years ago, I tried to follow app installations with fseventer to see precisely what was happening, but it was beyond me.
Synium Software's
CleanApp ($14.99) does that for you so you don't have to. Additionally it keeps track of what supporting files and folders are deleted by other users as a guide to your deletion.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I, of course, can't be 100% certain that Find Any File finds EVERY supporting file and folder that has been placed by an app I want to delete, but deleting what it finds with app and developer name searches is enough for me:
- My SSD has got sufficient capacity to not be compromised by 1 or 2 - even 1,000 or 2,000 - items of detritus which, if legitimately placed by apps, will in all likelihood be pretty small.
- If an app has placed something obscure, I'd like to be aware of it at installation, rather than deletion, time.
- I keep neurotically close track of additions to ~/Library/Preferences, so I'm aware of everything apps place there. (Years ago, some app or other created ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.plist to keep track of its trial period parameters, and I was on to it instantly.)
- If I ever feel that an app has placed malware, I'll wipe the volume and restore from a pre-existing clone rather than hope that some app has found all of its components.
It's kind of funny and counter-intuitive that as drive capacities have increased and security has been ramped up (to what some may say are ridiculous heights
), a heretofore unknown paranoia over (most likely minimal) detritus that may be left behind by deleted apps has grown hand in hand with them.
A front end for an fseventer like app that tells users precisely what they've just installed would, indeed, be useful for those who d/l apps from questionable sources - which I NEVER do. (I looked at fseventer out of curiosity rather than perceived need, and that was back when I should have perceived a need.
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I have relied on [CleanApp] for several years and it hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Unfortunately, though, there's pretty much no way you can be certain that CleanApp has steered you 100% right, which, in its essence, is what it's all about.
More: Responding to freelance's question before he even asks it, my impression is that CleanApp knows what to delete but isn't geared tell you before deletion time.
