Mac Install Location

[bback3C2RW]

Every other program is able to install itself into the main /Applications folder on macs.  Literally every one.

Why does Fusion360 install to /users/(username)/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/webdeploy/production/kjsdahgtfi832q47t659823465792384579, where absolutely no one will ever be able to find it?

Previous solutions were "install from the Mac App Store," but now that it's no longer an option, users are forced to create an alias (which ruins the workflow), but only if they know to do this before they close the program and remove it from the dock.

I really don't care why this is the way it is, I have other Autodesk programs that were able to install themselves to the proper location.  Every other program I've ever installed has also installed itself into the proper location.  This is a problem unique to Fusion360 that I have never had to deal with and shouldn't even be a problem to begin with.

Just fix it.

[beananimal]

They don't fix simple bugs... I am not sure why anybody is holding their breath for this to be fixed. I would be fine if they just fixed the asinine popup dialogs from steeling focus from other applications. 

[mikoo]

No, OP is right. This should be fixed.

[beananimal]

so should this nonsense 

Every time you click a way from the program you come back and have to close dialogs. 

@beananimal - this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation

[beananimal]

Insane - the word that was flagged is not profanity by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that somebody spends time policing petty nonsense like this instead of fixing software issues or responding to concerns, is frankly, jaw dropping. 

[MarianStoica]

I've just uninstalled both Fusion and Fusion Insider after noticing they weren't installed correctly, in the /Applications folder. I thought it was a mistake and I didn't pay attention when initially installing them.  

Only to find out there is no option of choosing the installation path when installing, and it installs under /Users/[userfolder]/Applications instead of the correct /Applications folder. Seriously?!  Not being able to choose where to install an application, in 2024, this is truly ridiculous! At least have it install in the correct /Applications folder, where all apps are installed by default, if choosing the folder is not an option. But it should really be an option, since 1990 :)) This is mind-bending! Of course I would agree with the initial author of this thread saying "Just fix it!" because this is frustrating 

@MarianStoica - this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation.

[jeffjenkins1Y8BVV]

Fusion isn't the only culprit. I think I found two other programs installing there.  The trouble is it's not wrong to install there, it's just that 99% of developers install in the applicatiomns folder

[lance.carocci]

It's entirely due to user permissions. Fusion doesn't need elevated permissions to install or run, so there isn't a technical reason to install outside of the user folder. It sounds like some folks would prefer to enter their admin password every time they install and update Fusion just for the sake of having everything in the same directory.

[beananimal]

NO LANCE

Four pages and 5 years worth user feedback and complaints and this is what your response is? Lance, I am continually dumbfounded at how out of touch you and your entire team appear to be. No wonder this product is such a mess.

Lance we want Fusion to follow recommended and accepted convention that allows software to install, update, backup and behave both securely and as expected in the same fashion that almost every other piece of modern software does.

We want applications in the applications folder, where one would expect them to be, so that they may be managed like any other modern application, allowing us to find their icons, installers and and other related items without digging through hidden and user folders with guid names.

We want you to follow recommended and accepted convention for the storage of user create files and settings where they can be easily backed up and restored. 

We don't want to have to run a utility to workaround you installer and lost executables.

We don't want duplicate and broke icons on our menu bars...

Shall I go on? 

@beananimal - this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation.

[lance.carocci]

I need you to understand that writing to the system Applications & Library folders and modifying system-wide configuration requires elevated permissions. Accordingly, it is standard convention to not install to this folder if those permissions are disallowed or not required.

You're essentially asking for us to require more permissions than necessary to install the product, just for the sake of being in a different directory. I fully understand the desire to keep everything consistent, but I hope you can understand how that outcome is not a high priority relative to other platform development requested by Fusion's userbase.

We didn't invent the user Applications or Library folders - they exist exactly for this reason.

[lance.carocci]

I'll add that that we haven't decided against doing this. In fact, it is a topic of regular internal discussion, and something that could change in the future. But currently it is not a priority given the meager benefits of developing and validating such a change relative to putting out bigger fires smoldering within Fusion.

[PhDEdd]

Entering a password/using touch ID to update is perfectly fine.

As long as a password isn't needed to simply launch Fusion.

Being able to <cmd+space>, "fu", <return> to open Fusion would be much nicer than having to open a random and temporary app that you've hopefully put in the dock (which is subject to break again with each update or force-quitting of Fusion).

[lance.carocci]

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Being able to <cmd+space>, "fu", <return> to open Fusion would be much nicer than having to open a random and temporary app that you've hopefully put in the dock (which is subject to break again with each update or force-quitting of Fusion).

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Ah, I understand now. Spotlight should be working. That's a big reason we why no longer use a shortcut in the Applications folder (shortcuts by default do not display in Spotlight results). What, if any, results appear for you?

At a glance, I can open Fusion from Spotlight without issue.

[PhDEdd]

In fairness, this seems to be fixed now, thank you. I get 3 results: Autodesk Fusion, Remove Autodesk Fusion, and Autodesk Fusion Service Utility. My Fusion is currently running though, as I don't want to close a couple of big assemblies to retest.

IIRC, Spotlight used to give me multiple results with hex character names with Fusion icons, and I'd have to dig out the correct one manually from Finder again.

[fleedar]

On the Windows side, Fusion also goes against all platform conventions by installing to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\webdeploy\production\7d4b5b3660a76ade0bbb79419ac7da4185204b21

So it kinda seems like everything is a big mess over there at Autodesk. Smoldering fires indeed. 

[lance.carocci]

On the Windows side, Fusion also goes against all platform conventions by installing to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\webdeploy\production\7d4b5b3660a76ade0bbb79419ac7da4185204b21

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Installing to the user folder does not require elevated permissions like Program Files would. It's the exact same reason. If you have installations of Discord or user-level Chrome, you will also find them in here.

[jeffjenkins1Y8BVV]

It's like the developers were not accustomed to the "normal" way of doing things when they developed the implementation processes - it's time they corrected that

[jeffjenkins1Y8BVV]

benefits are not meagre if it stops people having to re-build their links every time a new version is released.

[lance.carocci]

Installing to the system folder would not magically fix that. If your shortcuts are breaking, it is likely because of the fact that Fusion downloads an updated executable side-by-side with the existing version, then updates the shortcut  (which, incidentally, is also a fairly common practice).

It might be more productive to describe the actual problems you are facing rather than what you think is the culprit, because our investigations often lead us to an entirely different root cause.

[fleedar]

Man, I truly do not care what the reasons are. I have nearly a hundred third party applications on both macOS and Windows. Some are professional creative programs, some are written by amateurs or hobbyists. Many automatically keep themselves updated. Fusion is the *only one* that installs to these locations on each platform, and that decision has caused myself and countless others headaches, as evidenced by this thread. It's the wrong decision. 

[lance.carocci]

What headache, is what I need to know. Is it just the location ailing you? Or are you experiencing something that you think the location is the cause of?

Is it actually causing problems, or is it just different?