Many applications in OS X are self-contained applications packages, where all of the resources that the program needs to run are located within the .app file that you put in your Applications folder or elsewhere on your system. This .app file is actually a folder that contains the program executable, along with configuration files and other resources that can sometimes be quite extensive.
This approach to managing programs differs from the classic approach where program installers place them and their resources in specific folders or other locations on the filesystem (such as the system folder) that are needed for the program to run. While many developers subscribe to a self-contained approach, others still need to place resources such as frameworks, extensions, plug-ins, and fonts in shared locations on the system.
These programs are generally distributed as installer packages which look like an orange box, and which are downloaded in a disk image, ZIP file, or other container. When opened, these packages will launch the OS X installer utility, which is located within the /System/Library/CoreServices/ folder, and which will read the package contents and place them in the appropriate locations. The installer utility is a central way for developers to perform checks for operating system requirements or other details before installing, and also is a way to have the system create receipts after installation, which can be used to include their installed f... [Read more]
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