Installing Applications to a Re-Arranged Apps Folder

Question

Many [Apple] application installers have difficulty installing when you have organized the Application directory using folders. For example, instead of having all the applications in the "root" of the Applications folder, some people create categories like "Audio", "Graphics", "Productivity" or "Entertainment" folders.
In addition to looking cleaner in Finder, it also has another benefit: If you drag a shortcut of your Apps folder to the dock, you can right-click that icon, and it'll spring open a nice "start menu" explorer, right from the dock. In addition to Quicksilver, it's a great way to get access to your applications, without having a thousand icons on the dock.
Unfortunately, many Apple installers look for the existing application in order to upgrade it. When the application is not in the root of the Apps folder, the installer chokes, and doesn't let the upgrade proceed (it doesn't browse deeper folders to look for the application).
I came across this issue this morning with the Safari 3 beta. Because my Safari.app is within the "Internet" folder, the installer said my computer was not eligible for the upgrade. It wasn't until I moved the app to the root of the folder that it knew to upgrade it. This has happened with many applications I've wanted to install (some from Apple, some from other vendors).
While I know that most people probably do not organize their Apps into folders, the functionality exists, and many people do find it useful.
I don't know if this could be classified as a bug, because it's more of a user fringe case -- Has anyone else come across this problem? and has any solutions? I'm also curious to hear how other people keep their applications organized. I can't stand clutter -- I keep my Dock to less than 6 icons, use Quicksilver as much as possible, organize my app folders, and use the application shortcut in the dock to browse for infrequently used applications. You?

Answer 1

Create a new folder in your home folder, select all the applications, and hold down the Option and Command keys while dragging them to the folder you created to create aliases to them. You can then place the folder you created in the Dock and rearrange its contents without breaking software installers while leaving the original Applications folder as is.
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