Re: Screenshot!

From	"David B." <"David B."@invalid.org>
Newsgroups	alt.computer.workshop, uk.comp.sys.mac
Subject	Re: Screenshot!
Date	2026-05-24 08:37 +0100
Organization	Retired
Message-ID	<n7fo6hFtkguU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References	<n7e2roFlopsU1@mid.individual.net> <n7ea0oFmrepU1@mid.individual.net> <6a11f74f$0$27$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> <n7eg8cFno4sU2@mid.individual.net> <6a123bb4$0$25$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com>

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

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On 24/05/2026 00:43, Brock McNuggets wrote:
> On May 23, 2026 at 1:16:12 PM MST, ""David B."" wrote
> <n7eg8cFno4sU2@mid.individual.net>:
> 
>> On 23/05/2026 19:51, Brock McNuggets wrote:
>>> On May 23, 2026 at 11:29:44 AM MST, ""David B."" wrote
>>> <n7ea0oFmrepU1@mid.individual.net>:
>>>
>>>> On 23/05/2026 19:20, Brock McNuggets wrote:
>>>>> On May 23, 2026 at 10:28:13 AM MST, ""David B."" wrote
>>>>> <n7e6deFma2tU1@mid.individual.net>:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 23/05/2026 17:27, David B. wrote:
>>>>>>> What Gemini (AI) said to me!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://i.ibb.co/0yRmSfr9/Screenshot-2026-05-23-at-17-01-39.png
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Comments welcome!
>>>>>> Did YOU spot the deliberate misteak?!! 😉
>>>>>
>>>>> The emotional language... and the assumption old reports are not needed.
>>>>> Sometimes they are useful.
>>>>>
>>>>> * intermittent issues
>>>>> * worsening performance trends
>>>>> * recurring panics
>>>>> * malware persistence
>>>>> * configuration drift
>>>>> * before/after comparisons
>>>>>
>>>>> I am sure there are more use cases.
>>>>
>>>> You said "Sometimes they are useful".
>>>>
>>>> Useful to *WHOM*?
>>>
>>> For folks who are looking into those issues. I agree it would not be common. I
>>> also do not know the app - maybe it makes notes of changed based on those old
>>> reports (though I would expect a more machine readable format in that case).
>>>
>>> What is your concern with them being there?
> 
>> In the old days, the developer implied that dragging his App to the
>> Trash/Bin removed all trace of it from one's computer.
> 
> When? Never on macOS... even Classic Mac. So when? Apple IIe?
>>
>> The developer has changed his tune - at last! 😁
> 
> How so?

This is a nuanced question with a short answer and a longer one.

*The short answer: mostly yes, but not completely*.
---

**What dragging to the Trash *does* remove**

The app itself — the `.app` bundle — is deleted. For simple, 
self-contained apps, that's genuinely most of it, and the app stops 
working immediately.

**What it typically *doesn't* remove**

macOS apps commonly scatter supporting files around your home folder, 
and these are left behind:

- `~/Library/Application Support/<AppName>/` — app data, databases, caches
- `~/Library/Preferences/` — `.plist` preference files
- `~/Library/Caches/<AppName>/` — cached data
- `~/Library/Logs/` — log files (relevant to the Usenet thread!)
- `~/Library/Containers/` — sandboxed app data
- `~/Library/Saved Application State/` — window state
- Launch agents in `~/Library/LaunchAgents/` — background processes

Some apps also write to `/Library/` (system-level), install kernel 
extensions, or create hidden files elsewhere.

---

**So David B.'s point is valid**

If the app in question stores diagnostic reports in 
`~/Library/Application Support/` or similar, dragging the app to the 
Trash leaves those reports sitting on disk. A developer claiming 
otherwise would be either mistaken or misleading — which is presumably 
what David B. was getting at.

---

**The clean solution**

Dedicated uninstallers (either the app's own, or third-party tools like 
**AppCleaner** or **AppZapper**) scan for and remove all associated 
files. Many experienced Mac users consider these essential for a proper 
uninstall.

So the old "just drag it to the Trash" advice, while convenient and 
*mostly* harmless, has always been an oversimplification.

=

Hope that AI response is helpful!  🙂

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Thread

Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 17:27 +0100
  Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 18:28 +0100
    Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 18:20 +0000
      Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 19:29 +0100
        Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 18:51 +0000
          Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 21:16 +0100
            Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 23:43 +0000
              Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 08:37 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 12:59 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 14:23 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 13:40 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 15:07 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <Brock.McNuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 14:16 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 15:34 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <Brock.McNuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 14:53 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 21:48 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 22:00 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 23:23 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 22:41 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-25 08:26 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-25 14:49 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-25 22:09 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! pothead <pothead@snakebite.com> - 2026-05-25 22:30 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-25 23:21 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-26 00:06 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-26 14:56 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-26 16:12 +0000
  Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 18:17 +0000
    Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 19:32 +0100
      Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 18:50 +0000
        Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-23 21:17 +0100
          Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-23 23:43 +0000
            Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 08:39 +0100
              Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 12:56 +0000
                Re: Screenshot! "David B." <"David B."@invalid.org> - 2026-05-24 14:42 +0100
                Re: Screenshot! Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-05-24 13:45 +0000

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