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With Launchpad and Mission Control is the dock useless?
- Thread starter Vazkor
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The Dock still serves a purpose, as it is a one-stop shop for the apps you want to access with one click. Mission Control is an upgraded Expose, while Launchpad is kind of a weird hybrid between stacks and your Applications folder in icon view.
The Dock is intended to be a shortcut to your most used apps (safari, finder, mail, pages/word, iTunes,.... but Launchpad however, is a shortcut to access all your apps.... I don't wanna go to Launchpad every time i want to open mail, iTunes or safari, thats just loss of time 
Actually I won't use Launchpad that much as well, mostly i just press cmd+space and then type the program I need...
Actually I won't use Launchpad that much as well, mostly i just press cmd+space and then type the program I need...
Yes, except for the fact that you still have badges and bouncing indications. So if someone sends me a Skype message and I'm not there to hear the sound, I will later still see the badge that says "1". Same thing with Mail. I don't have to go and check my mail every x minutes because Mail will simply display a badge on the dock icon.
Stacks are also very useful, especially the Downloads stack. I would not like to get rid of that.
If Apps with notifications could use some sort of integrated system notification, maybe at the top of the screen in the menu bar, that would make the Dock less important for me. It takes up a hell of a lot of space, and I hate hiding it as there's a delay between your mouse reaching the bottom of the screen and the dock appearing.
Stacks are also very useful, especially the Downloads stack. I would not like to get rid of that.
If Apps with notifications could use some sort of integrated system notification, maybe at the top of the screen in the menu bar, that would make the Dock less important for me. It takes up a hell of a lot of space, and I hate hiding it as there's a delay between your mouse reaching the bottom of the screen and the dock appearing.
When Steveo previewed Leopard, one touted feature that disappeared prior to the release was stacking applications to the left of the crosswalk. He showed stacks for folders, etc. But if you put your applications folder as a stack, you get a grid, fan and eventually option for a standing list, but it is huge. In my case my apps folder in my dock, even in grid view on a 24" iMac needs to be scrolled down to see all my apps. Steve had showed us how you could grab a select group of apps from the folder in finder and drag them to the dock to the left of the crosswalk to create a stack of those apps. For example you could put all office or all iLife apps in one stack. I think the reason this got scrubbed was that there was an issue with how the app would show in the dock while running. Does it come out of stack and show separately? So it disappeared. LaunchPad is their answer to this. iOS folders and grouping allow people with many apps to organize them. Your applications folder doesn't allow for this. You can't really move apps into subfolders and then stack those in 10.5 or 10.6. I'm pretty sure the App has to stay in the applications folder. So LaunchPad is their answer to this 3 years later.
Than Launchpad is useless
Ditto. IMO it serves absolutely no purpose. The gesture for it is hard and that is the only reasonable way to use it. Otherwise you need to either use Dock or Spotlight so instead of launching Launchpad, you could just launch the app you want to launch. Cmd + space for Spotlight is MUCH easier and more useful than Launchpad.
Agreed. I've always had the Applications folder in my dock, set to grid. I would do this on most macs I encounter (friends, public, etc) just to make it easier to launch applications that aren't on the dock.
I will say that Launchpad would make it easier for folks to access apps, without having to do what I said above (namely new users).
The gesture for it is hard?
Only if there's something wrong with your hands, otherwise it's ridiculously easy.
Personally, I quite like launchpad on my MBA and I think it makes sense on small screen notebook. However, on my iMac it's a different story, and I can't imagine ever using it
I'm not going to buy an Apple mouse, so no gestures for me.
Even with multitouch, I don't use gestures on my MBP.
But I'm not going to Lion without install DVD and Rosetta in the first place.
I don't want invisible scrollbars, either.
Most of the GUI stuff where Apple spends its time I don't use. I'm interested in more practical things.
Even with multitouch, I don't use gestures on my MBP.
But I'm not going to Lion without install DVD and Rosetta in the first place.
I don't want invisible scrollbars, either.
Most of the GUI stuff where Apple spends its time I don't use. I'm interested in more practical things.
This.The gesture for it is hard?
I am a hardcore cmd+space user when it comes to launching apps.
However, when I'm not actually working on the computer, like just browsing around on the internet, it's much easier, due to my hands already being on the trackpad, to just pinch and select an app.
I am experimenting with the following idea:
I removed all apps from my dock. I use Launchpad or cmd-space to launch apps. Mission control or the old alt-tab to switch apps. The dock is then free to show status and update you. One look and you know how many apps are running, because now only running apps are in the dock. The right side of the dock is now free to use for minimizing documents you're working on, where before, your dock was so full of apps that there was no room. Essentially, the dock is now free to do what is does best.
What do you think?
I removed all apps from my dock. I use Launchpad or cmd-space to launch apps. Mission control or the old alt-tab to switch apps. The dock is then free to show status and update you. One look and you know how many apps are running, because now only running apps are in the dock. The right side of the dock is now free to use for minimizing documents you're working on, where before, your dock was so full of apps that there was no room. Essentially, the dock is now free to do what is does best.
What do you think?
More like with the dock launchpad is completely useless to me. And since they neutered Spaces so much, I have no choice but to use the awful Mission Control option. Lion feels like change for change's sake. Not because they were good ideas that would help us work more naturally.
Reverse it!
I would change the question to "With the Dock is Launchpad" useless?
I really don't get this one. My 10 most applications are in my dock and the ones I use once a week or so are in my application folder. What else do you need? Why the launchpad? I somewhat get it for a tablet but for a PC why? In fact I can launch an application quicker using spotlight.
I would change the question to "With the Dock is Launchpad" useless?
I really don't get this one. My 10 most applications are in my dock and the ones I use once a week or so are in my application folder. What else do you need? Why the launchpad? I somewhat get it for a tablet but for a PC why? In fact I can launch an application quicker using spotlight.
I really think Launchpad is made to try and tempt Windows based iOS users come to Mac by showing some sort of familarity. Personally I do use Spotlight the most but it is another option for someone to launch their apps.