Briefly: Google Desktop update, Leopard dock

at Leopard dock!

I have to say it is amusing that the way the dock looks is such an issue.

Wasn't anyone ever puzzled by the way the Tiger dock items seems to be separated by an invisible force shield that prevented them from all collapsing helter-skelter into the bottom of the dock (perhaps crushing the bottom icons under the sheer weight of all those above)?

Maybe digital double-sided tape was holding them up. What keeps them all from sliding right into the trash?

How can people work when these questions go unanswered?!! ;)

I use the Tiger Dock on the left side - it's much easier for me to slide the mouse across (using mostly my wrist) than slide it down (which uses either the fingers or the whole arm). I wondered how the Leopard Dock would look on the side - and now I know. It looks bad.

I assume I'll get used to it, but it's not a nice design on the side. That said, I don't think I'll get vertigo from looking at it - at least I hope not.

the dock would disappear. I hate leaving it visible, because it wastes valuable vertical space, and hiding it just makes it pop out all the time when I can to hit the horizontal scrollbar. And DragThing it a much better launcher and task manager than the dock is. I dislike having to use DockBlock to hack the OS to disable the dock.

... why a vertical dock ever made sense. It's non-intuitive, you have to magnify (which is the part of the dock that increases your chance for error) and until there were widescreens it really ate screen real estate.

How can something "deny" gravity? It's not just a good idea, folks - it's the law.

Perhaps the author meant that it DEFIES gravity (i.e. that icons on it appear to "float")?

C'mon, MacNN: Yes, I'm being pedantic regarding the terminology being used in this (and MANY previous posts), but can we at least get your article authors to have a rudimentary command of English vocabulary?

A vertical dock makes sense because it's easier on the hand and wrist. It's also easier for me to find an icon when looking up and down instead of side-to-side.

I keep the dock hidden, no magnification (and not so many icons that they're too small). I use the application Overflow, and store many apps there - one click on the Overflow icon, and a grid comes out with whatever app icons you put there (Apple is trying something similar in Leopard, but we'll have to see if it's better or not.)

Isn't it all just personal taste? I'm a symmetry nut to for me the idea of an unbalanced desktop with something on the side - Oh lord, I think I'm coming over all giddy.

Forget the dock, it's those bendy stacks they need to sort out - Why do they have to curve, like they're about to fall over? Straight please! (Hope some resourceful interface modder is reading this....)!

"Denies" gravity -- maybe the Genius MacNN writers were trying to to be cute with a play on words there - you never know !

It has a nice ring to it anyway_

Elroth - we're glad you like the vertical use of the dock but does any of that apply to the new dock in Leopard ? have you seen it ? Have you played with the BETA ?

Recto (/?) - There's not much symmetrical about any OS I've ever used_ There's not an Apple Menu on both sides of the screen_ There's not a Menu bar on the top and bottom of the screen_ There isn't an HD icon in every corner_ There isn't a Trash can on both sides of the dock_ There isn't 2 copies of the Documents Folder_ However - there are 3 copies of the Library Folder [minimum] if you look thru the system some_

I know - maybe when it gets released you could write and App that straightens out the Dock Stacks - I'm sure you'd have a great following with folks that are obsessive compulsive and having the curvey "stacks" might bother them to no end_ I'm sure there's a market for that someplace_

And don't open anything like Photoshop - 'cause we wouldn't want you to have an aneurism - because tht interface is nowhere near symmetrical - and definitely don't jump into Final Cut or Maya - that would give you a direct trip to the hospital_

In any event - who is this rouge amoeba chap and why is his opinion the corner stone of the Mac world all of a sudden_ Who gives a fuck how the icons are "attached" to the dock when it's on the side ? There is no gravity involved - IDIOTS !!

3 of his points talk about how icons are sticking to the dock when it's on the side - it's computer code - that projects a bunch of friggin' light - that's it_ There is no gravity involved_

Also a 4th point of this moron points out that he can't hide the dock - smae keyboard command as always - Command+Option+D_ You can also get to this by going to the Dock Prefs or to the Dock itself and pulling up the context menus_ There is alos a dock Menu item under the Apple_ So if you click on the Apple icon and go down to the DOck menu item and select it...OMG - this guy's an idiot !!

I keep my dock, hidden, on the left edge of my iMac. This keeps it away from the scroll-bar areas, preventing it from annoying me when I go to scroll, and gives me plenty of screen real-estate.

This new dock doesn't look great, but as long as I can hide it when I'm not using it I don't really care. If I can't hide it, then I'll be really annoyed.

As for the whole "vertigo inducing" thing, I presume he means the stack of file folders projecting "out" of the screen. It's not my fault, or Steve Jobs' fault, that people younger than us haven't seen actual filing cabinets, with open drawers of files sticking out ;) This is how they actually look, except without that awkward metal drawer sticking out at some awkward hight, waiting to cause you grievous bodily harm because someone forgot to close it... (Old filing cabinets from the 40s and 50s are much sturdier, and generally much pointier, and cause better GBH they also seem to last forever....)