windows taskbar for macosx?
- Thread starter bla
- Start date
Hmm ... I have one-click access to all the open windows, via the contextual menu items and the right mouse button (or use control-click). Pops up a list of the app's open windows, and off I go ;-).
If one ever does get created, I really hope it's either third party (so I can not install it) or optional (so I can turn it off). There's nothing I hate more than using my Win98 box for a few hours, then looking down at the task bar and seeing informative labels on microscopic boxes like "My C...", "C:\Dat...", "D:\Gam...", "Novel...", "Microso...", "Microso...", etc. Yea, if you hover you get the whole label, but what a pain. WinXP finally fixes this by consolidating open windows in one task bar entry per app.
-rob.
If one ever does get created, I really hope it's either third party (so I can not install it) or optional (so I can turn it off). There's nothing I hate more than using my Win98 box for a few hours, then looking down at the task bar and seeing informative labels on microscopic boxes like "My C...", "C:\Dat...", "D:\Gam...", "Novel...", "Microso...", "Microso...", etc. Yea, if you hover you get the whole label, but what a pain. WinXP finally fixes this by consolidating open windows in one task bar entry per app.
-rob.
Piet Keizer
Registered
In XP, multiple windows per app buttons will only be there if the task bar gets too cluttered.
In the dock, you can't *directly* tell the difference between two or more folders, so only after some getting used to them, you'll find a way to them. But this gets harder because their locations changes all the time.
You can't see *immediatly* if there's any open window with an app, so when you have one maximized window, people like me (certain type of creative people, I guess) have no idea what's open at one moment.
So I also prefer the Windows taskbar, combined with those alias bars.
What might turn out to be great about the dock, however, might be the possibilities of showing information in the icons.
In the dock, you can't *directly* tell the difference between two or more folders, so only after some getting used to them, you'll find a way to them. But this gets harder because their locations changes all the time.
You can't see *immediatly* if there's any open window with an app, so when you have one maximized window, people like me (certain type of creative people, I guess) have no idea what's open at one moment.
So I also prefer the Windows taskbar, combined with those alias bars.
What might turn out to be great about the dock, however, might be the possibilities of showing information in the icons.
rharder
Do not read this sign.
Yeah, more informative icons like those used by Apple's Mail app are nice. Have any of you seen any other apps that make clever use of their icons? Beside CPU Monitor?
Though we do have fairly quick access to open files/folders by right-clicking the dock applications, you have to first determine which application to look in. I'm bouncing back and forth between apps so much, I don't care <em>which</em> app a file's in, I just want to go to it.
-Rob
Though we do have fairly quick access to open files/folders by right-clicking the dock applications, you have to first determine which application to look in. I'm bouncing back and forth between apps so much, I don't care <em>which</em> app a file's in, I just want to go to it.
-Rob
TommyWillB
Registered
I have a neat application called LoadINDock that continuously draws an updated chart f the CPU utilization. It shows the cycles for the kernel and user tasks.
I forgot where I got it, and stupidly the About LoadInDock box does not give any clues... (except that it is by Takashi Hamada) It didn't even come with a Read Me.
I forgot where I got it, and stupidly the About LoadInDock box does not give any clues... (except that it is by Takashi Hamada) It didn't even come with a Read Me.
TommyWillB
Registered
rharder
Do not read this sign.
Here it is: http://www.lisai.net/~hamada/Acti/MacOSX/LoadInDock/
Isn't this what the Apple-provided CPU Monitor does?
-Rob
Isn't this what the Apple-provided CPU Monitor does?
-Rob
TommyWillB
Registered
Not exactly. The CPU monitor shows only the current CPU load.
LoadInDock shows this over time. So I can see both what it is now, as well as what it's been for the last few minutes.
Also LoadInDock is much less sensitive, so it give you a better sense of the current load relative to the average. The CPU monitor moves so fast it is hard to figure out if it is generally low or high.
Besides, I suggested this as a good example of using the icon in the Dock, not as a great example of a CPU monitor. (I should have quoted this last time to make this more clear. Sorry.)
Wouldn't it be cool if you could actually see the icons of the things you've thrown in the trash in it's Dock icon? (Probably an option that you should have the preference to turn off though.)
LoadInDock shows this over time. So I can see both what it is now, as well as what it's been for the last few minutes.
Also LoadInDock is much less sensitive, so it give you a better sense of the current load relative to the average. The CPU monitor moves so fast it is hard to figure out if it is generally low or high.
Besides, I suggested this as a good example of using the icon in the Dock, not as a great example of a CPU monitor. (I should have quoted this last time to make this more clear. Sorry.)
Wouldn't it be cool if you could actually see the icons of the things you've thrown in the trash in it's Dock icon? (Probably an option that you should have the preference to turn off though.)
rharder
Do not read this sign.
I don't know about sensitivity, but CPU Monitor does give you usage over time. It's in the preferences.
I like the Trash idea. It's kinda like the screensaver that shows icons from your hard drive.
Under the category of wasting even more CPU cycles, as you empty the trash the icons (at least the "interesting" ones) those icons could fly out of the trash, burning.
Who said computers aren't entertaining? I want one of those Hollywood operating systems that do all the cool useless stuff. While I'm at it, how about one of those monitors that cause the image to be projected perfectly onto the users face?
I'm not being sarcastic--that would be useless but cool.
-Rob
I like the Trash idea. It's kinda like the screensaver that shows icons from your hard drive.
Under the category of wasting even more CPU cycles, as you empty the trash the icons (at least the "interesting" ones) those icons could fly out of the trash, burning.
Who said computers aren't entertaining? I want one of those Hollywood operating systems that do all the cool useless stuff. While I'm at it, how about one of those monitors that cause the image to be projected perfectly onto the users face?
I'm not being sarcastic--that would be useless but cool.
-Rob
TommyWillB
Registered
Oh! I did not see that preference. I'm switching back.
Interestingly CPU monitor uses fewer CPU cycles than LoadInDock, but it uses more RAM: (And 1K of 320MB isn't going to hurt...)
LoadInDock
CPU = 0:24.37
RAM = 3K
VM = 65K
CPU Monitor
CPU = 0:18.83
RAM = 4K
VM = 67K
Interestingly CPU monitor uses fewer CPU cycles than LoadInDock, but it uses more RAM: (And 1K of 320MB isn't going to hurt...)
LoadInDock
CPU = 0:24.37
RAM = 3K
VM = 65K
CPU Monitor
CPU = 0:18.83
RAM = 4K
VM = 67K
glowurm@mac.com
aH-NAH :: GHASAD-Ha
Action GoMac from PowerOn Software: for Mac OS 9.1
This would be a great utility to be ported to OS X, however, I think that PowerOn needs to be bugged quite a bit to get it done.
Currently, this causes conflicts (krazy-ass flickering) when the extension is active in the Classic environment (in OS X of course). I duplicated my OS 9.1 System Folder to another partition to use for Classic and forgot to change the extension set.
I think that it may solve my problems with the dock (read: please eliminate it) if they did it right...
This would be a great utility to be ported to OS X, however, I think that PowerOn needs to be bugged quite a bit to get it done.
Currently, this causes conflicts (krazy-ass flickering) when the extension is active in the Classic environment (in OS X of course). I duplicated my OS 9.1 System Folder to another partition to use for Classic and forgot to change the extension set.
I think that it may solve my problems with the dock (read: please eliminate it) if they did it right...