Pacifist - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Pacifist work with Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard”? How about Intel-based Macs?

Yes, Pacifist has been tested on Leopard. It is also a Universal Binary for use on both PPC and Intel-based Macs.

Q: Can Pacifist read the Apple Software Restore discs? How about the iLife installer, the iWork installer, etc.?

A: Pacifist should be able to open most Apple-provided install discs that use either .pkg packages or .dmg disk images. If you encounter an Apple-made disc that does not open with Pacifist, please send me an e-mail at so that I can correct this.

Q: Is Pacifist a complete replacement for the Installer? Should I use Pacifist to install OS updates?

A: Pacifist, in its present form, is not a complete replacement for the Installer. For example, it does not run the pre-install or post-install scripts of a package. This has several implications - on one hand, it can make installation safer, since a poorly written shell script can cause damage to your files. On the other hand, there is the possibility that there could be something important that the shell script does that is necessary for a complete install to be successful. Therefore, installing something as vital as an OS update using Pacifist and allowing it to replace the files of your current OS installation is dangerous and should be done only at your own risk. However, although I cannot guarantee that it will work for you, I have successfully used the 1.0 version of Pacifist several times to install OS updates on my own machine without incident. Pacifist works best, though, for installing individual files, apps, etc. from installers, and this is its recommended use.

Q: Are there any bugs?

A: All software is prone to have at least some bugs. Pacifist is no exception. I have tried to make this software as stable as possible, but there is always the possibility that I have missed something. For a list of known bugs, consult the Read Me file which is bundled with Pacifist.

Q: I found a bug. What should I do?

A: Send me an e-mail right away, at . Your bug reports will hopefully allow me to find the problem and fix it for the next release.

Q: I have an idea for a feature that I think would be neat!

A: Send your feature requests to my e-mail address at . They will be read, and possibly incorporated into a future version of Pacifist. Thank you for your suggestions!

Q: How do I obtain a newer version of Pacifist?

A: You can either look up Pacifist at VersionTracker or MacUpdate, or you can go to the CharlesSoft web page to get the latest version

Thanks for your interest in Pacifist!