gistfile1.swift

import Foundation
import XCPlayground

enum E:ErrorType {
    case SomeThingHappened(payload:String)
}

let filename = XCPSharedDataDirectoryPath.stringByAppendingPathComponent("output.plist")

func run(filename:String) throws -> String {
    let pipe = NSPipe()
    let task = NSTask()
    let fileBuffer = pipe.fileHandleForReading

    task.launchPath = "/usr/sbin/system_profiler"
    task.arguments = ["-xml","SPApplicationsDataType","-detailLevel","mini"]
    task.standardOutput = pipe
    task.launch()

    let data = fileBuffer.readDataToEndOfFile()

    if data.writeToFile(filename, atomically: true) {
        return filename
    } else {
        throw E.SomeThingHappened(payload:filename)
    }
}

func listOfApps(filename:String) -> [String] {
    let d = NSArray(contentsOfFile: filename) as! [AnyObject]
    let d2 = d.first! as! [String:AnyObject]
    var result:[String] = []
    for each in d2["_items"]! as! [[String:AnyObject]] {
        let name = each["_name"]! as! String
        result.append(name)
    }
    return result
}

do {
    let result = try listOfApps(run(filename))
    for i in 0...5 {print(result[i])}

} catch E.SomeThingHappened(let fname) {
    print("something happened \(fname)")

} catch {
    print("I have no idea what happened \(error)")

}