Install as non-admin user when the installer requires admin permissions I need to run an app that uses Adobe Air, but the installer for Adobe Air requires admin permissions. On general security principles, I limit what gets installed as admin user, and Adobe has a bad history when it comes to security, so it doesn't get exempted from my policy. I found that Mac OS X has a feature similar to Linux's LD_PRELOAD, called DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES, which changes the search path for libraries. So I'm wondering if this can be used to fake out installers that unnecessarily require admin permissions so the installer will install to the current user's directory instead of the system level directory. Or is there a better way to accomplish this?
Drag-drop installs can go to an Applications folder at the root of the user's home folder and function without issue, but Adobe has been known for needing hooks in various parts of the OS. For example, a cursory overview of that package shows it wants to install certificates, the flashplayer plugin if not already present, etc.
Conceivably, if you could 'snapshot'(using fsevents/dtrace/packaging tools like packagemaker or Composer, etc.) the installation in a VM and track down all the files it sprays on disk, and relocate those wherever applicable to the user folder on your system, AND the Air runtime and App in question could run without failing due to expecting to see resources in hardcoded directories....

In other words, magic 8-ball says 'highly unlikely'.