Nude (Non–Unix DS_Store Eliminator)

Nude 1.2 (1) is an Objective-C (non-unix) utility to remove .DS_Store files. Given a folder, Nude performs a recursive search through all included folders removing any .DS_Store files it encounters. Simply drop a folder onto the application icon (or the window picture if the application is open) and click the Delete button when you are satisfied that you have the correct folder. Support is provided for dropping multiple folders. You may also chose a single folder with the Open dialog. This dialog is called with the Select button. The Select and Delete functions are found in the File menu as well.

Nude is freeware. Actually, Nude is “tzedakaware”. If you feel like contributing something, please consider making a donation to The Naturist Society or the American Association For Nude Recreation

Disclaimer: I am not a programming maven nor a Mac expert. As far as I can tell, these statements are true as of the date I made them. I do not guarantee that this utility will work for you or suit your needs. I will not be responsible for any loss or discomfort arising from the use of this utility. If you are concerned about losing data or blowing away your system, please perform a back-up before using Nude. (This is probably a good idea anyway!)

Copyright Stuff: The painting used throughout this utility can be found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_Cranach_d._%C3%84._001.jpg It is a depiction of Adam and Eve painted by Lucas Cranach in 1526. The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

What are .DS_Store files?

  1. As near as I can tell, these relatively small files contain meta data about the windows associated with the files they display. Information culled from various web sources indicate that the .DS_Store files are created by the Macintosh OS X Finder and these files keep track of folder view options, icon positions, and other visual information about folders.
  2. The “.” at the beginning of the name is a Unix thing that makes the file invisible or hidden. Thus, Mac users seldom see these files. However, when they are copied to a server or a Windows machine, they might appear.
  3. While .DS_Store files may be of use to the operating system, they do not seem to be absolutely essential. Eliminating them does not seem to cause any harm. If one needs to re-order the folder window in some way, the .DS_Store file just regenerates.

Why would someone wish to eliminate .DS_Store files?

  1. .DS_Store files eat up space on a hard drive for window settings which may not be needed. While this may not be of much concern until a hard drive is nearly full, these files can take up a lot of space.
  2. If one is backing up to a CD or an external volume, these unnecessary files waste precious space.
  3. Windows users may feel a bit disconcerted at seeing all these files with strange sounding names if you send them a folder full of files.
  4. When emailing large folders or sending them across a network, the good citizen always wishes to conserve bandwidth.

Why would someone wish to code a utility in Objective C when it is just as easy to do this in Unix?

  1. I wished to count the number of removed files and I don’t know how to do this easily in Unix.
  2. I wanted to see which was faster.
  3. This was a good opportunity to learn some new programming techniques (file searching, drag & drop) while doing something useful.
If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, you may contact me at rbkopelman@terpalum.umd.edu