haha so, I search for info… I think the real problem is just people switching like me from pcs to macs. It’s not that pc’s are intuitive, they’re not, but more people are using them, so more people know how to. I figure I’ll learn.. eventually.

A windows user recently tried out an alpha of my app. He may be new to OS X but he’s not new to computers (he a windows programmer), and he did have trouble with the concept of a disk image and “installing” my app.

Also, the process of installing via disk image is quite messy:
1) Double click dmg file to mount
2) Click on mounted image in finder (is this done automatically)
3) Open a new finder window with /Applications (if there is no alias in image)
4) Alt-drag app to /Applications finder window
5) Eject image
6) Delete dmg
7) Go back to /Applications window
Double click your new .app

That’s too much.

(I personally have /Applications in my dock but it’s not default so I assume most people don’t.)

First, the disk image I use has the now-fairly-standard background image with a box around the app icon and an arrow pointing to the Applications folder, with a prominent bar at the bottom that tells the user to drag the application into their Applications folder to install. This cleared up many of the typical support questions I’d get.

Second, I added, on the download page, step-by-step installation instructions (with pictures for each step), demonstrating the dragging and dropping, mounting and ejecting, etc. This has reduced the number of “your app deleted itself – I paid for it – what the h***?!” type of support requests from about twice a month to about once every few months.

For those few individuals who still have trouble, I generally send a canned response explaining the concept of disk images and repeating the installation instructions. They’re usually grateful for the new knowledge (but occasionally you always run across an individual who is quite simply angry at the world and is offended by receiving the instructions s/he asked for). I actually had one customer accuse my FAQ pages of condescending him (a first for me, actually), and referred to me as “His Majesty”. That was somewhat amusing … but I digress.

My point is: Explain things thoroughly, explain them often. Use pictures. Give references to educational resources. Don’t worry about the angry, egocentric types; most people are grateful for the extra help.

User first double-clicks app:
App tests location:

App copies over to the Apps folder:
App folder opens to reveal file:
Diskimage is ejected.

j

If there is no need for your customers to know about disk images – and I agree with you on that – then you shouldn’t give them disk images. Problem solved.

But, it _is_ an issue for my customers, many of whom are casual users. That is, they represent the average Mac consumer: they are not power users, they most certainly don’t frequent blogs such as this one and they often do not understand concepts such as “Disk Images”. (And who can blame them?)

We need to look at these issues from our customer’s (and prospective customer’s) perspectives. There is a huge gulf in experience and expectation between us as a minority of developers, and the greater Mac user base. Try to think back to when you were first starting out, before you knew about things like volumes and paths and directories. Back to when you thought of Java as a place instead of a language. Because that’s where the bulk of Mac users are, and that goes doubly for all the new “switchers”.

Anything we can do to make life easier for this huge market, I’m all for it. Just because we know what a Disk Image is doesn’t mean our customers should have to.

As I said, the disk image is put in the trash, so if you want to archive an internet-enabled disk image, just fish it out of the trash! Or, as I also said, you can disable special treatment of internet-enabled disk images by entering the Terminal command at this link: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20040210141030190

This is a complete non-issue and as ssp said, those first-run questions are completely superfluous.