Who Should Control Software Installation?
On the Macintosh, many software packages are installed by running a special installer program. An installer places new files where they are needed, sometimes deleting or moving existing files as well. The process is completely automated. While this is convenient for users who do not wish to know any further details, it makes it difficult to troubleshoot when the installation causes problems: one does not know what files went where. Furthermore, not knowing which files were installed makes it extremely difficult to completely undo the installation later.
