ditching the Dock
Bruce Tognazzini recommends five key pieces of shareware in the AskTog column "Make Your Mac a Monster Machine."
If you choose to adopt them, you will have a desktop that can outperform not only a Dock-dependent Mac system, but also Windows XP and a fully decked-out System 9.0 computer.
Tog hates the Dock in Apple OS X, so these tools help you cope without it, so you can make it small and hidden. I've tried it for a week, and I don't agree with Tog.
I've gotten used to the Dock, and removing it makes me slower.
Some of the software was very good, however.
- Launchbar. Hit Cmd-space, and access anything. This is a must, but I have switched to QuickSilver. Same idea, but it performs even better in my view -- and it is free, at least for now. Speeds you up so much you won't believe it.
- Dragthing. This puts the drawers back on the edges of your screen like we used to have in OS 9. You can make windows full of handy shortcuts that are carefully arranged and colour-coded, and they are always available as pull-up drawers. Lots of fancy options, and a real on-the-desk (or floating!) trash can as a bonus. This was like coming home.
- Windowshade. It lets you roll up windows to only a title bar, like a blind on a window. It was standard in OS 9, and it is very nice to have it back, especially when I use lots of windows in lots of programs at the same time.
- Application Switching Menu. This puts a menu of running applications in your top right corner, like in OS 9. You need this if you don't use the dock, but I find that I've grown accustomed to the dock, and didn't use ASM much. You see, I don't care to remember if an app is running or not. I just want it when I need it. The Dock is better that way, 'cause I have my favourite apps there, running or not, and it is only one click instead of click, wait, drag, release. I think Tog is nostalgic on this issue, and not really analytical.
- Fruitmenu. It makes the Apple menu customizable again, like in the OS 9. This is what I use the Dock for! Lots of other features, but to me, it seemed that the major benefit was nostalgia, and I didn't find a need for it.
I should tell you that I always keep the dock at the left edge so it does not interfere with any of the scrollbars. I make it fairly big and full of icons, so it (and the trash with it) stays in place instead of changing shape and moving things around when I open and close programs. It's always visible so it is very fast to use, and it will stay that way.
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