Executable files in Mac OS X vs Windows
I have seen that every executable file in Windows has an extension of .exe. But Mac OS X doesn't have the same.
Windows executes .exe files. Then what kind of files does Mac OS X execute?
What is the difference between both operating system's execution of applications?
Even I found that windows setups has the same extension .exe but on a Mac setups have extension of .dmg
Would you please share your knowledge with me about .dmg & executables on Macs vs. Windows?
Solution 1:
Extensions don't actually change what type of file something is, although they often do hint to the system what do do with a particular item.
DMGs are not executables, they are disc images. They are files that act as discs, which often contain the executables and other files for applications. When you double-click on one, the system mounts it and you then have access to the files inside.
Both Windows and OS X execute binary executable files, although they are in different formats. The big difference in what a user sees if using the GUI is that on Windows, you usually see the .exe executable file, which resides in a folder that contains other files and information that the program uses. On OS X, all those other files, along with the primary executable, are contained in a "bundle" (really a folder) with the extension .app. Double clicking on a .app bundle will execute the internal executable and load your application.
Outside of the GUI, in the actual file structure, Mac and Windows systems are really quite similar; these differences are mostly a question of how the system presents things to the user for manipulation in the GUI.
Solution 2:
You will also be able to execute any file that has it's permissions set to executable, given that it actually contains a valid program of course.
Solution 3:
.dmg
files are the disk image files normally used to install Mac apps. Once installed, Mac apps usually have the extension of .app
, but that extension is normally hidden from the user. Mac apps are packages which appear to the user as a single file. This makes it very convenient to move apps to a new folder or a new computer.