RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS

I was having problems with slow startup and quit times until I discovered (while working on another issue) that I had two sets of preferences for InDesign – one in ~/Library/Preferences and one in Library/Preferences (the Library at the first level of the hard drive). After cross-checking the modification dates and deleting the oldest version for each of my CS5 apps (com.adobe.InDesign.plist, com.adobe.Illustrator.plist, and so on), I find that everything is very much zippier.

Not sure why or how this came about, but very pleased to find a solution!

I found that it took quite a bit longer to open Word, Excel and PowerPoint (don't use Outlook) in Mountain Lion until I discovered (by accident) that there seemed to be two sets of preference files for Microsoft Office. One was in ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft and the other was in ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/Preferences/Office 2011. I checked to see which had the oldest modification dates (which was in the first folder listed above, but I'd highly recommend checking for yourself) and ditched those. Now the apps are opening very much faster.

Not sure whether Mountain Lion has changed preference handling, or whether it was even back in Lion but that OS wasn't as sensitive to the problem. Either way, it worked for me.

Otherwise, Office 2011 seems to be working just fine with Mountain Lion.