Dock A component of Details Type Included with, Service name Dock.app The Dock is a prominent feature of the of the operating system. It is used to launch applications and to switch between running applications. The Dock is also a prominent feature of macOS's predecessor and operating systems. The earliest known implementations of a dock are found in operating systems such as.
Has its own version of the Dock for,. Apple applied for a US patent for the design of the Dock in 1999 and was granted in October 2008, nine years later. Applications can be added to and removed from the Dock by, except for the, which is a permanent fixture as the leftmost item (or topmost if the Dock is configured to be vertical). The Trash icon is also a permanent fixture at the right end (or bottom if the Dock is repositioned). Part of the macOS, Dock.app is located at /System/Library/CoreServices/. OpenStep Dock In NeXTSTEP and OpenStep, the Dock is an application launcher that holds for frequently used. The icon for the Workspace Manager and the Recycler are always visible.
The Dock indicates if a program is not running by showing an below its icon. If the program is running, there isn't an ellipsis on the icon. In macOS, running applications have been variously identified by a small black triangle (Mac OS X 10.0-10.4) a blue-tinted luminous dot (Mac OS X 10.5-10.7), a horizontal light bar (OS X 10.8 and 10.9), and a simple black or white dot (OS X 10.10-macOS 10.13). In macOS, however, the Dock is used as a repository for any program or file in the operating system. It can hold any number of items and resizes them dynamically to fit while using magnification to clarify smaller resized items. By default, it appears on the bottom edge of the screen, but it can also instead be placed on the left or right edges of the screen if the user wishes.
Applications that do not normally keep icons in the Dock will still appear there when running and remain until they are quit. These features are unlike those of the dock in the NeXT operating systems where the capacity of the Dock is dependent on. This may be an attempt to recover some functionality since macOS inherits no other such technology from NeXTSTEP. (Minimal Shelf functionality has been implemented in the.) The changes to the dock bring its functionality also close to that of 's Button Bar, as found in the MessagePad 2x00 series and the likes. Applications could be dragged in and out of the Extras Drawer, a -like app, onto the bar.
Also, when the screen was put into landscape mode, the user could choose to position the Button Bar at the right or left side of the screen, just like the Dock in macOS. The macOS Dock also has extended menus that control applications without making them visible on screen. On most applications it has simple options such as Quit, Keep In Dock, Remove From Dock, and other options, though some applications use these menus for other purposes, such as iTunes, which uses this menu as a way for a user to control certain playback options. Other Applications include changing the status of an online alias (MSN, AIM/iChat etc.) or automatically saving the changes that have been made in a document (There is no current application with this feature made available for macOS). Docklings (in Mac OS X 10.4 or earlier) can also be opened by using the right-mouse button, if the mouse has one, but most of the time either clicking and holding or control-click will bring the menu up. Stacks in grid view. In, docklings were replaced.
Stacks 'stack' files into a small organized folder on the Dock, and they can be opened by left-clicking. Stacks could be shown in three ways: a 'fan', a 'grid', or a 'list', which is similar to docklings. In grid view, the folders in that stack can be opened directly in that stack without the need to open Finder. In, the dock is used to store applications and, since, folders containing applications. Unlike the macOS dock, a maximum of 4 icons can be placed in the dock on the iPhone and the. The maximum for the iPad however is 6 icons.
The size of the dock on iOS cannot be changed. The dock, as it appears in The original version of the dock, found in Mac OS X Public Beta to 10.0, presents a flat white translucent interface with the Aqua styled pinstripes. The dock found in Mac OS X 10.1 to Tiger removes the pinstripes, but otherwise is identical.
Mac OS X Leopard to Lion presents a 3D glass-like perspective instead of the traditional flat one, resembling ' application dock. OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks changes the look to resemble frosted glass and has rounded corners.
OS X Yosemite reverts to a 2D appearance, similar to Mac OS X Tiger, although more translucent and with a blur effect. In iPhone OS 1 to 3, the dock used a metal look which looks similar to the front of the Mac Pro. IOS 4 adopted the dock design from Mac OS X Leopard to Lion which was used until iOS 7, which uses a similar dock from Mac OS X Tiger but with iOS 7 styled blur effects. In, the dock for the is redesigned to more resemble the macOS dock.
Related software The does has a dock-like application called Launcher, which was first introduced with models in 1993 and later included as part of. It performs the same basic function. Also, add-ons such as added a dock for users of earlier versions. Microsoft implemented a simplified dock feature in with the Quick Launch toolbar and this feature remained until. Various docks are also used in. Some examples are (which emulates the look and feel of the NeXTstep GUI), and, (amongst others) for and various other / docks, 's Wharf (a derivation from the NeXTstep UI), iTask NG (a module used with some -based such as ) and 's Slit.
Criticism , a usability consultant who worked for Apple in the 1980s and 1990s before was developed, wrote an article in 2001 listing ten problems he saw with the Dock. This article was updated in 2004, removing two of the original criticisms and adding a new one. One of his concerns was that the Dock uses too much screen space. Another was that icons only show their labels when the pointer hovers over them, so similar-looking folders, files, and windows are difficult to distinguish. Tognazzini also criticized the fact that when icons are dragged out of the Dock, they vanish with no easy way to get them back; he called this behavior 'object annihilation'. John Siracusa, writing for, also pointed out some issues with the Dock around the releases of in 2000.
He noted that because the Dock is centered, adding and removing icons changes the location of the other icons. In a review of the following year, he also noted that the Dock does far too many tasks than it should for optimum ease-of-use, including launching apps, switching apps, opening files, and holding minimized windows. Siracusa further criticised the Dock after the release of, noting that it was made less usable for the sake of eye-candy.
Siracusa criticized the 3D look and reflections, the faint blue indicator for open applications, and less distinguishable files and folders. Thom Holwerda, a managing editor, stated some concerns with the Dock, including the facts that it grows in both directions, holds the Trash icon, and has no persistent labels. Holwerda also criticized the revised Dock appearance in.
See also. References. tweetbtn, Austin Modine 8 Oct 2008 at 19:02. Retrieved 2017-08-08. Tepper, Fitz.
Retrieved 2017-08-08. Gartenberg, Chaim (2017-06-05).
Retrieved 2017-08-08. Moore, Charles (October 2, 2001). Archived from on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014. Tognazzini, Bruce (January 1, 2004). Retrieved December 20, 2006. John Siracusa (2000).
Retrieved February 28, 2008. John Siracusa (2001).
Retrieved February 28, 2008. John Siracusa (October 28, 2007).
Retrieved February 28, 2008. Thom Howlerda (October 17, 2007). Retrieved February 28, 2008.
Advertisement Your Mac’s dock is probably a lot older than you think. It’s been a It's the primary way many users interact with Mac OS X, but a lot of people still don't know some of the most basic and useful things the dock is capable of.
Since OS X 10.0, graduating from humble beginnings as part of the NeXTSTEP and OpenStep platforms of the 80s and 90s. Unlike Microsoft’s Start menu, Apple’s dock hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years. That’s great, assuming you’re fond of Apple’s simplified approach to application management. But if you’re not a fan of the dock in its current form, or replace it with one of these apps. UBar uBar is the premier dock replacement for macOS.
Few other apps go this far in search of better macOS window management. Surprisingly, this is a feat largely achieved by mimicking the look and feel of Windows.
You can configure the app as a Windows-like taskbar, or as a smarter version of the Mac dock. The app defaults to a taskbar layout, placing all your open windows along the bottom of the screen. Apps are grouped together where relevant, making it easy to find anything even if it’s spread across multiple desktops.
Dibbidy Dock For Macbook Pro
UBar lets you skip right to the relevant desktop with a click, and another click hides the app. It also includes a small Want to add a Start Menu or list of recent documents to your Mac Dock for easy access? Here's how to customize your own., with expanded shortcuts to common folders, system preference panes, Terminal, and power options. You can heavily customize the app including adding your own shortcuts and toggling auto-hiding. It also lets you choose where it appears onscreen, change the color scheme, and exclude apps from appearing.
One of my favorite features is the inclusion of a month-view calendar when hovering over the date and time, something macOS doesn’t make easy unless you open Calendar. You’ll also find shortcuts to the Trash and a button that triggers the “expose desktop” gesture where you’d expect to find it on Windows. Transitioning Windows users will find uBar a useful tool, though if you become too reliant on it you’ll likely never drop Microsoft’s methods. That’s not a problem though, as uBar is a refined and polished product that’s well worth the $30 entry fee.
You’ll get a 14-day free trial when you download the app, but you’ll likely only need a few hours with the app to make your mind up. UBar really feels like a part of macOS, and it works best if you heavily rely on Spotlight as a launcher and disable your old dock entirely. Download: ($30, 14-day free trial) 2. Station Station is a dock replacement that uses a hierarchy of folders to organize items in any way you like. It’s more a customizable version of the current macOS dock than a complete revamp. It works best if you have a specific structure by which you like to organize your apps, documents, and frequently-used locations.
Station lets you organize anything you like in a series of nested folders. As an example, you could have a root-level folder titled Applications that contains expanded folders for categories like Adobe and Games. By grouping items in a logical manner, you’re less likely to waste time hunting around and ultimately be more productive. Station also has the ability to launch all items in a single folder.
If you have a set of applications you use for work (like Pages, Evernote, Spotify, etc.), you can quickly jump in by launching everything at once. Adding items to your Station is a case of dragging and dropping everything in place, a potentially time-consuming endeavor. Unlike uBar, Station isn’t a Does your Mac desktop look like a 10-car pileup with app windows all over the place? It's time to take back your screen real estate. Running processes will not appear in Station; only shortcuts and folders you have created yourself show up.
That means it might not function too well as a dock replacement, unless you’re going for a “less is more” approach. A warning about the demo version: you will lose your folder hierarchies when you reload the app, and the app will forcibly quit an hour after you open it. This isn’t the greatest means of testing an app, since you’ll have to re-download and set everything up again if you decide to buy. Download: (Free with limitations) Download: ($15). DockShelf Sick of only having one dock? DockShelf lets you have as many docks as you like, containing whatever you want, in any position on your desktop. While it might sound cramped and impractical, DockShelf actually makes it pretty easy to keep a ton of icons close.
By default, the app creates separate tabbed docks for your desktop, apps, places, notes, downloads, and recent files. You can choose to create new docks with their own purposes and icons, and populate them with applications, folders, stacks (popup groups), and even A Mac Smart Folder lets you group together similar files from all over your machine. Here's how to use them and some great examples to get started with. DockShelf can even create docks for running processes (like a taskbar). This lets you switch between apps or terminate processes with a right-click, as well as access external devices like USB drives. There’s even a “desktop” dock which acts as a scratch pad for any files and folders you want to keep within reach.
These docks don’t take up much screen space since they’re tabbed. Thus, you’ll need to hover or click on the tab in order to access the items within. It looks a little basic, but everything seems to work fine. The app could do with an update, but provided you’re running macOS 10.8 or later it should work fine.
The free version of DockShelf displays a splash screen on startup and places a big unsightly “Purchase!” link in your menu bar. There are no time restraints or other limitations that I could see. Download: ($5, Free trial with limitations) What’s Up, Mac Dock? Whichever dock you decide to use, Spotlight has been a killer Mac feature for years, with Cupertino regularly schooling Redmond in the art of desktop search.
Here are a few tips to help you find more on your Mac. Is probably the best way to increase productivity on your Mac.
If you’re coming from Windows, don’t forget to check out our Every Windows user should know the basics of working on a Mac. Here's a quick guide to help Mac newcomers find their way around.
Explore more about:,.