# System Cleaner for Mac OS X



## closebeauty (Sep 21, 2008)

I see that there are lots of system cleaners, registry cleaners for Windows.
I'm searching for some similar tools.
Do I need similar products to clear the tracks such as brower history, appliaction use history? 
Does anyone use Mac Cleaner to remove recent file history, chat logs, caches, cookies, web site history?


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## Giaguara (Sep 21, 2008)

I use OnyX for maintenance, and clean all the above except browser history/cookies (those I do from the browser itself) or chat logs (they stay on purpose).


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## closebeauty (Sep 21, 2008)

Thanks for the information


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## Giaguara (Sep 21, 2008)

There are a few other good apps to do the cleaning as well, but OnyX and Mac Cleaner would be probably among the best. As Mac OS X does not deal with the applications or system the 'Windows way' there are no registries that the applications would be able to make a mess. 
Another thing that can be worth mentioning for maintenance is Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities, it's installed by the OS), for repairing permissions. Especially before and after any major system software updates.


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## closebeauty (Sep 21, 2008)

Hi, 
Thanks for your reply
As you said there are no reigistry in Mac system, then where does Mac OS X save the registry like information?
Thanks


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Sep 21, 2008)

Mac OS X is based off of UNIX, which means that there isn't one, big, monolithic "registry" in which application and preference data is stored.  Each program on Mac OS X uses its own preference file, keeping one application's settings completely separate from another's.  If one preference file gets corrupted, all other applications' preferences will be safe, since they're in different files.

Preference files are stored in /Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Preferences, with some settings being stored in /Library/Application Support and ~/Library/Application Support.  For example, Transmit (an FTP program by Panic) stores settings in ~/Library/Preferences under the filename "com.panic.transmit.plist" -- which translates roughly to the company "Panic" followed by the application "Transmit" followed by "plist", which is short for "preference list."  Other applications follow a similar naming scheme for their preference files, too -- Apple keeps stuff under "com.apple.applicationname.plist", where "applicationname" is the name of the application for which the preferences apply.

Mac OS X also doesn't need to be "defragged" constantly like Windows does.  The operating system takes care of a lot of housekeeping stuff automatically, and I recommend only performing manual maintenance routines when you suspect your system needs it, and not as a "ritual."

There also isn't one, big repository for browser histories and stuff.  Safari can be "cleared" of history via the "Safari" menu (clear cache, reset all settings, etc.), and the same with Firefox... you'll have to clear each browser's histories using each individual browser, rather than locating one, central "history" holder.


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## closebeauty (Sep 21, 2008)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Mac OS X is based off of UNIX, which means that there isn't one, big, monolithic "registry" in which application and preference data is stored.  Each program on Mac OS X uses its own preference file, keeping one application's settings completely separate from another's.  If one preference file gets corrupted, all other applications' preferences will be safe, since they're in different files.
> 
> Preference files are stored in /Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Preferences, with some settings being stored in /Library/Application Support and ~/Library/Application Support.  For example, Transmit (an FTP program by Panic) stores settings in ~/Library/Preferences under the filename "com.panic.transmit.plist" -- which translates roughly to the company "Panic" followed by the application "Transmit" followed by "plist", which is short for "preference list."  Other applications follow a similar naming scheme for their preference files, too -- Apple keeps stuff under "com.apple.applicationname.plist", where "applicationname" is the name of the application for which the preferences apply.
> 
> ...



hi, 
I appreciate a lot for your reply. It helps a lot.
Now i know the differences between windows registry and Mac OS X.
Thank you very much.
I am a novice and i think i should  use an all in one tool to do the clean job, i have got mac cleanse and it works nice for me.

Thanks again.


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## Doctor X (Sep 21, 2008)

For what it is worth, I also use Onyx.  Before I discovered that freeware I spent the like $10 for the shareware "Cocktail" based on a recommendation in one of the Mac magazines.  That I like because you can run it on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule for clearing caches, fixing permissions, running scripts, and that other arcane stuff I do not understand.

That is an "FYI"--I am not endorsing a shareware over a freeware.  As far as I know, Onyx does the job.  I do not know about MacCleanse, so I defer to them.  

--J.D.


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## closebeauty (Sep 21, 2008)

Doctor X said:


> For what it is worth, I also use Onyx.  Before I discovered that freeware I spent the like $10 for the shareware "Cocktail" based on a recommendation in one of the Mac magazines.  That I like because you can run it on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule for clearing caches, fixing permissions, running scripts, and that other arcane stuff I do not understand.
> 
> That is an "FYI"--I am not endorsing a shareware over a freeware.  As far as I know, Onyx does the job.  I do not know about MacCleanse, so I defer to them.
> 
> --J.D.



Thanks
I went to  Onyx website, and found that it is a general system maintaining software.
And then I compared Onyx to Mac cleanse and found that Mac cleanse is more like a software to protect the privacy of Mac users.
Here are two screenshots of them.
Onyx





Mac cleanse


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