Due to a slight oversight on my part (Mac Version numbers are different from Windows Version numbers) my version table has changed yet again, but I was able to procure the newest and oldest versions(which I could find) of the applications I am testing, provided they were compatible with Mac OS 10.8. I then copied them to a thumb drive and plugged it into my test mac, installing the applications from it. I would also like to note that I focused on downloading stable releases and not Dev or Beta versions, even if they were older than the stable release. Due to issues removing Safari from the Mac OS, I decided to substitute Mozilla Firefox as my second browser instead of Safari. After removing Safari via command line (-rm -rf) I ran into issues with various applications crashing.
Here are the updated versions, which will be installed and imaged in two waves: the newer versions and the older versions.
I was able to find all of the old versions of applications from oldapps.com, which maintains a comprehensive collection of software versions for both PC, Mac and Linux Operating Systems.
I formatted the disk each time using the "7-pass erase" option which conforms to the DoD 5220.22-M specification, which calls for Disk Utility to make seven passes while zeroing out the data as opposed to the normal three. Although the normal wipe probably would have done the trick, this ensures that no system wide artifacts are left which may have the possibility to interfere with the results of my research.
User Activity:
In order to generate sample data for the plists I created user activity within the applications which was as realistic as possible. I utilized multiple facets of the application to generate a more "robust" plist data per se. I have included below a brief description of my user activity as well as screenshots meticulously detailing my exact actions and the corresponding timestamps.
Skype: For Skype I created new accounts, as well as added a contact. I then messaged that contact (myself) and video called them as well as called them without video. Since this is the majority of what users are doing on Skype, I believe this will generate the type of data I am looking for.
Dropbox: For Dropbox I created an account as well, and then created a text document locally which I dragged to my Dropbox folder (which subsequently synced). I then created a new directory within my Dropbox folder. After creating the directory, I created a text document on my personal PC and uploaded this to my newly created Dropbox folder via the Dropbox web application. After confirming on my test Mac that this file was synced to my newly created directory, I then exited Dropbox.
Google Chrome: After opening my browser I navigated to gmail and created a new account and sent an email to my personal email account. I then navigated to BBC.com, and then Google Maps, which I used to look up directions from "My Location" (location settings were enabled upon installing the OS) to San Diego, the destination being chosen arbitrarily. I then navigated to Facebook and logged into my account, and sent a message to myself. I then exited the browser.
Mozilla Firefox: The user activity created within Firefox was identical to Chrome, see above.
Collection:
I chose to use the free version of FTK Imager to image my test machine. The imaging process itself took 3-4 hours, and then a few more for the verification. Included below are the verification reports.
Newer Application Versions:
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