When I first set up my adopted 2008 MacBook Air, out of respect for it’s small (80GB) hard drive and my need for my client’s files, I promised myself I’d only install the few apps that really needed for work.
This Mac isn’t for fun. I’m venturing around exciting parts of the world and there are many better things to do than play on a computer — even when it’s a Mac. Thus, I only needed to install programs which were necessary for my work.
My friend Cathy set up the Mac, actually, as I packed up my belongings. iLife, iWork, Office 2011, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 — but only Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator. But then there were some utilities I really hate being without: TypeIt4Me, Default Folder, Flip4Mac, and 1Password. Oh, and Skype — necessary not just to keep in touch with friends but also to record my segments for Computer Talk Radio. Happily these apps all ran well on this original Air despite it’s limitation of 2GB RAM. I was all set.
And then came the day that I needed to check a website in FireFox and then I needed Cyberduck for an FTP upload and oops, MAMP to create my PHP-using websites. Recently, I needed screen shots and realized I hadn’t installed Snapz Pro yet. And to boost my Mac’s speakers, Boom. And for virus protection out in the wilds of the world, ClamXav. And another time I realized I needed, well, you get the idea.
Last night I needed BBEdit to manipulate code in a problematic Dreamweaver page. And while launching BBEdit I realized I now have 82 items in my Applications folder. Adobe is a partial culprit here as installing just the apps I wanted, it went ahead and made folders for 8 others apps, putting a file or two into each. So 82 minus 8 is a fairer count of my current apps. Yep, I have 74 apps on this minimum-install of mine.
The good news though, is that I’ll have a pretty much up-to-date full Time Machine backup of this now-intricately set-up Mac sitting on a secure server, thanks to, you got it — another one of those apps, Dolly Drive.
So am I deleting any of these chosen 74? Nope. I really do need ’em. Well, maybe I’ll delete the free bowling game I gave into on a whim, but that one balanced out by my deletion of Chess. We’ll see. 73 apps?