7 ms·

One advantage to leaving the configs around is that the next time you install the app, yiu get it set up just the way you had it before. Also, AFAIK, this mirr

One advantage to leaving the configs around is that the next time you install the app, yiu get it set up just the way you had it before. Also, AFAIK, this mirrors how command line utils would work.

frollogaston 1mo ago
Why would you remove an app if you want it to stay set up? iPhone has the "deleting an app will remove its data" thing for this reason.
- Sharlin 1mo ago
  Ironically, removing many iPhone apps does not delete its data (as far as the user is concerned) because the data is actually in the cloud somewhere.
  - frollogaston 1mo ago
    It would be nice to be able to delete Robin Hood if you go negative
  - wpm 1mo ago
    It also removes the preferences/caches for the app, but not its keychain data.
- hnlmorg 1mo ago
  Lots of possible reasons: - You used a trial version of a software, or other time limited license, and want to keep the output from that around. - You are upgrading and that particular app requires uninstalling the old version before installing the new version - You run out of disk space and want to uninstall a game but don’t want to lose you’re progress That’s just what immediately comes to mind but suffice to say any workflow will have legitimate counter examples.
  - frollogaston 1mo ago
    User can back up files in all those cases, but if this is really an issue, the "data will be deleted" dialog can have a button to say no. The way it is now is the worst. It's so unclear what you need to do to actually uninstall something that people go download stuff to do it, often malware.
    - hnlmorg 1mo ago
      I agree the current process is shit. But that’s not the point I was countering. To be honest, I think the way Windows handles uninstalls is shit too. I don’t think either desktop OS has got it right. Their respective app stores are an improvement on the status quo. But unfortunately they turned them into an ad riddled, proprietary mess that is more designed for their benefit than the end users.

One advantage to leaving the configs around is that the next time you install the app, yiu get it set up just the way you had it before. Also, AFAIK, this mirrors how command line utils would work.

frollogaston 1mo ago

Why would you remove an app if you want it to stay set up? iPhone has the "deleting an app will remove its data" thing for this reason.

Sharlin 1mo ago
Ironically, removing many iPhone apps does not delete its data (as far as the user is concerned) because the data is actually in the cloud somewhere.
- frollogaston 1mo ago
  It would be nice to be able to delete Robin Hood if you go negative
- wpm 1mo ago
  It also removes the preferences/caches for the app, but not its keychain data.
hnlmorg 1mo ago
Lots of possible reasons: - You used a trial version of a software, or other time limited license, and want to keep the output from that around. - You are upgrading and that particular app requires uninstalling the old version before installing the new version - You run out of disk space and want to uninstall a game but don’t want to lose you’re progress That’s just what immediately comes to mind but suffice to say any workflow will have legitimate counter examples.
- frollogaston 1mo ago
  User can back up files in all those cases, but if this is really an issue, the "data will be deleted" dialog can have a button to say no. The way it is now is the worst. It's so unclear what you need to do to actually uninstall something that people go download stuff to do it, often malware.
  - hnlmorg 1mo ago
    I agree the current process is shit. But that’s not the point I was countering. To be honest, I think the way Windows handles uninstalls is shit too. I don’t think either desktop OS has got it right. Their respective app stores are an improvement on the status quo. But unfortunately they turned them into an ad riddled, proprietary mess that is more designed for their benefit than the end users.