ARCHIVED: For Mac OS, what is the ObjectSupportLib, and do I need it?
The ObjectSupportLib (or the Object Support Library) is an AppleScript extension used for managing Apple Events. If you have a Power Macintosh or other Mac OS compatible computer with a PowerPC processor and you are running versions of Mac OS older than 8.0, you probably need this extension.
Usually you won't notice the ObjectSupportLib, but some applications, such as Netscape Navigator and Eudora, require it before they will function. If you don't have the Object Support Library installed on your PowerPC Mac OS computer and you want to use these programs, there are a couple of ways you can obtain it. If you have the installation disks or CD-ROM for Mac OS 7.5 through 7.6.1, you can install the system, which will place the extension on your computer. If you are using versions of the OS older than 7.5, obtain a copy of the installer program for Netscape Navigator 2.0+ or Netscape Communicator. The Netscape installer will also put the ObjectSupportLib on your system.
If you have Mac OS 8.0 or higher, the ObjectSupportLib is unnecessary
and can cause problems if it is on your system. Unfortunately, by
default, the installers for versions of Navigator and Communicator
prior to 4.05 install it on your computer no matter what version of
Mac OS you have. However, by choosing to do a custom installation of
either program, you can opt to exclude the ObjectSupportLib. If you
have already used the Easy Install option, to remove the
ObjectSupportLib, find it in your Extensions folder and
drag it to the Trash. There is also an AppleScript applet, KILL OSL,
that you can use to automatically remove the ObjectSupportLib. KILL
OSL is available from AMUG and a number of other online Mac OS
archives.
Last modified on July 10, 2008.
