Wow, Mac OS X-style "dock" for Windows...

I came across a nice looking Mac-style "dock" where you can scroll through all the programs in a bar on the top of your screen. Love this, it's certainly gonna make desktop icons all over the place obsolete, I tell ya, have a look:



...and here's where to pick it up:

http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Rocket-Dock/RocketDock.html

Not in 3D , I see though, like it will be in 10.5

What was that you were saying?

Have a look at http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/features/desktop.html ,by what I meant - the base is in 3D (with reflections, especially when other windows move behind it), and the icons are semi-3D

Dunno how that's gonna have any advantage over that third-party "gadget" that I just downloaded about a couple of hours ago?

Pff, that's nothing: How about making cluttery windows obsolete?

Virtual desktops. (Not the dumb cube kind).

Fancy window switcher.

Searching within the Scale window switcher.


I also turned on a neat plugin which fades out windows that are on top, if I have my mouse over a different one, so if I have to flip between stuff for reference I don't even need to click.

I have tried the docks, but they just don't do it for me. Too much bother; they tend to take applications, but putting files on them either takes up space or is really complicated. Stacks in MacOS sound like they may be a good solution. (Though I won't hold my breath; almost every Mac desktop I come across is completely littered with random icons. Seems to be 'the way' with that system...).

I'm working on a little file holder applet for the GNOME panel that could be pretty cool. I hope to have a d-bus interface so applications can tell it to expand. (For example, if someone starts clicking / dragging media out of the web browser, the applet could subtly offer to take it off his hands). The plan is to make it prominent enough that putting stuff there is effectively the same motion as (if not easier than!) putting stuff on the desktop.
Some day, if I get it to a working state, it will surpass just dumping files on the desktop by keeping track of them and doing something about the stuff that just seems to sit there motionless.

I have this actually... Its kinda useful but a bad resource eater..

Hah, did I hear you were making this for GNOME?! Wow, that would make Linux look far more like a Mac than ever, the pull-down menus, the dock at the bottom, just need that fancy turquoise background, and there you go!

Well, that's because Mac has it right ;)
This applet is actually a bit nicer than the Stacks thing. Designed as more than just a storage mechanism...

Besides, GNOME certainly does not have a dock at the bottom. It's two panels, with a menu applet somewhere on one of those. (Generally on the top left). It's more a hybrid between Windows and Mac OS, which makes it quite unique.

Dont see how - its very rare for a program to put a shortcut/alias on the desktop during installation. Therefore, its all manually done.

Rocketdock looks nice, but doesn't have the finess of the Mac one...

They're all documents, that's the scary thing. I guess the reason is that it isn't quite as easy to figure out how to open Finder and go to one's home folder as it is in Windows, with the Start Menu. Involves clicking the desktop anyway, to get its menu to appear. (The dock doesn't seem to have Finder on it...)

Should do - it may be removable from the dock, but that too is also rare...

The setup you've seen must be for the more security minded user...

Heh, well, dunno about that, but the fact that you can drag and drop desktop icons into it, is really something. I'm just taking the shortcuts, putting them up there, then removing the shortcuts from the desktop, and putting them in that folder you see there. Good way to minimalize a desktop, if you ask me.

Picklesworth, on OS X, the Finder is --always-- on the dock, and it's the icon on the left end. And the other icon's are not documents, they're aliases (similar to shortcuts). Right-click on them and you'll see a "show in finder" menu item that will open the Finder where the original object is.

The OS X dock, at least up until 10.4 Tiger, has one disadvantage over the Windows start menu, though: You cannot create a "folder" or any other hierarchical structure. But if I saw that right, 10.5 Leopard will have something like that.

I wish they would stop messing with OS's and stupid eye candy. It just seems like so much geeky fluff really with little practical use. Most people will probably switch back once the novelty wears out.

*yawn* (mac user ;-)

And Finder cant be removed.

Like evak I've never really understood the urge to tinker with the look and feel of an OS. I never even bother with a picture on the desktop. Keep it simple and keep your mitts of my RAM for me.

Windows still 'catching up' then i see :P
Theres loads of ways on Gnome(linux/unix) of getting a mac style launchers and 3D desktops. Has been for ages (see pickle's post above for example)

Personally i think OSX is fantastic but the OSX launcher/dock is my least favorite thing about it as it is too big and clumsy and reminds me of acorns old RiscOs (but thats just fussy ol me)

I agree with MKG *almost* completely, i too like it simple and fast with just the essential 'eyecandy' (like video/image thumbnails, aesthetic looks etc..) which is why i like ubuntu, as you only add what you need and nothing else. All this 3D stuff is ok to quickly activate when your mates come round to blind them with cool eyecandy but thats about it (as my pc's GPU isnt that powerful)
However, i do agree with the need to tinker with the way the gui runs, that way you dont have to put up with ram wastege from unnessacary rendered nicknacks like wretched slow sniffing dogs etc. (working on the premise that theres more motivation to add something you really want than removing loads of unwanted crap thats already there)

These kind of launchers have been available for windows for years too, i've used one (rocketdock? or something before it..) before, but usually turn it off and usually put up with shrinking the desktop icon size and font-to keep the desktop clean.

I hate having too much going on but on occasion i toy with themes etc just to see whats out there!