Help desk: Fun with DMGs
A friend of mine has been stockpiling .dmg files and loading his applications thusly. After having him pull them out and place them in the applications folder and showing him that that was why some weren’t even loading, I decided to write a little .dmg tutorial.
Apple uses a format called DMG to load image files. It’s in essence a completely software version of a CD/DVD. The image file loads your content, and drag the content off or install it, as dictated.
Above you can see the .dmg file, the actual loaded disc image, and the content folder. In this case, the application would need to be dragged to the applications folder. From there, the disc image also offers documentation and plugins. Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to put your applications in the applications folder, as they are self-contained. However, it would ruin the organized fung sui of OSX if done otherwise and you might find Jonathon Ives and Steve Jobs at your door with an 11th century mace.
As you can see from the header of this article, disc images can also be .img files. Along with that they can be .isos, as well. Any image file is mountable this way. Even the popular .toast file.
And yes, once you drag the application out of the file folder and into your applications folder, you can delete the .dmg.
