Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My guess is that Dashboard is considered deprecated, and it'll stick around, unchanged, until it breaks. Apple has done what's needed to discourage new users from finding it. For now, at least, there no reason for them to remove it.

I don't understand why people are angry that it's not been removed. If you don't like it, you're under no obligation to use it.
 
By disabled do you mean removed? Surely disabled by default implies it can be re-enabled. I hope so because I use it regularly.
 
Last edited:
I don't understand Apple. Why do they make these things, Dashboard, iDisk, iWeb, Aperture, Mac user homepages and what else. To just end it in the future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: audio_inside
Interesting - those who likes dashboard talks about its usage, how it smoothly fits in, how it is adaptable to individual need and so on. Those who wants it removed talks about looks.

Does people really just want computers to turn into linear TV? To have a dumbed down entertainment system, not a productive tool?
Applicable to soon every aspect of Mac
- Wow, that looks really cool!
- Sure does!
- How do you use it?
- Use it?!?
 
  • Like
Reactions: nicodraxus
I think Dashboard needs full integration into the notification centre. sure it already has widgets but its not as good as dashboard. I think this was Apple's intention anyway but its not really taken off as there are still very few decent notification centre widgets around.
 
Oh no, Apple please don't remove this! I am also one of the guys using it several times a week if not even daily. Quick access to calculator, unit conversion, delivery status of packages, stock, a LOOOOT of sticky notes, weather, amount of ink in the printer – it's just pretty perfect, why would you get rid of it and cripple OS X? Please don't! Just don't!
 
I'm pretty sure it was disabled on Yosemite too at some point. Not a very 1st releases but at some point starting 10.10.3 or 10.10.4 (remember that I needed to enable it to install iStat Pro widget)

Also I always do clean install on every subversion upgrade (10.10.x) - boot of the backup, new partition from the disk utility and reboot into the Internet Recovery what will never bring any configs over.
 
  • Like
Reactions: satcomer
is there an alternative for dashboard now? like for translation, etc...

Not for translation, but for unit conversion you can use Spotlight.

For example, type "$30 in AUD" to see what 30 US dollars is in Australian dollars. You can do the same with "2" in mm", "100F in C" or "60kmh in knots".

You can leave out the "in ..." part to see a bunch of related conversions. For example, type in "$30" to see what that converts to in a bunch of currencies.

It's a much better way to do things IMO. It's like a little Google search box on your local machine.

Also, nobody panic: It hasn't gone away totally yet. This is maybe an indication that they do want to stop supporting it and remove it altogether from a future release, but that's not exactly news (even though you might use it, it isn't used very widely) and we're not at that point yet.
 
Screen Shot 2015-08-24 at 08.11.31.png
Really useful feature. Don't ditch.
 
I've been wondering how to get rid of Widgets for two or three years. What is that, Tiger? I figured out where the checkbox was about six moths ago. Enough of 2006! Haven't used it in years. Obviously, you just have to click the option, and Steve is still alive! Me, it just gets rid of a mild annoyance. One of the reasons Apple is using Public Betas is to get the usage figures. They're less popular than an option that defaults to ON. But really it's still is an option.
 
iStat, Stickies, Calculator and Unit Converter are widgets I still use daily.

The only one I could perhaps do without is Unit Converter as Spotlight is generally fine for that, but the other three don't yet have alternatives which are better. Calculator is still much more convenient in Dashboard than in Notification Centre.

You can type any conversion into Google as a question. How many pints in 40 liters? Answer quick.
 
Not for translation, but for unit conversion you can use Spotlight.

For example, type "$30 in AUD" to see what 30 US dollars is in Australian dollars. You can do the same with "2" in mm", "100F in C" or "60kmh in knots".

You can leave out the "in ..." part to see a bunch of related conversions. For example, type in "$30" to see what that converts to in a bunch of currencies.

It's a much better way to do things IMO. It's like a little Google search box on your local machine.
I think so too, but I would be nice if they could fully integrate dashboard into spotlight including translations…
 
I clipped the google translate page so I have fast access to it.
Is it possibile to do something similar in the NC?
 
I used to use dashboard for its novelty but nowadays I just open the respective app (such as calculator) so I don't have to leave the desktop just to calculate something.
 
I've been wondering how to get rid of Widgets for two or three years. What is that, Tiger? I figured out where the checkbox was about six moths ago. Enough of 2006! Haven't used it in years. Obviously, you just have to click the option, and Steve is still alive! Me, it just gets rid of a mild annoyance. One of the reasons Apple is using Public Betas is to get the usage figures. They're less popular than an option that defaults to ON. But really it's still is an option.

This poll suggests that those in favour of keeping Dashboard out number the killers by 2 to 1.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/poll-dashboard-keep-it-or-kill-it.1909532/
 
I used to use dashboard for its novelty but nowadays I just open the respective app (such as calculator) so I don't have to leave the desktop just to calculate something.

Mental arithmetic suffices for most of what I have to calculate. When that is inadequate I use an actual electronic calculator that is usually used as a paper weight on my desk.

The only calculations I use my computer for are those done using Numbers spreadsheets.
 
I'm really late to this forum, because I only discovered the fact that Dashboard was disabled by default after installing El Capitan. It's a bit of a shame that they've let Dashboard die a slow, ignominious death. I still use it daily for currency conversion and the dictionary/thesaurus. The temperatures are useful to see what conditions are like for other family members or places I will be travelling to. A glance at the stocks in Dashboard is the only time I ever bother looking at them. Shame.
 
I'm really late to this forum, because I only discovered the fact that Dashboard was disabled by default after installing El Capitan. It's a bit of a shame that they've let Dashboard die a slow, ignominious death. I still use it daily for currency conversion and the dictionary/thesaurus. The temperatures are useful to see what conditions are like for other family members or places I will be travelling to. A glance at the stocks in Dashboard is the only time I ever bother looking at them. Shame.

To be fair, pretty much everything you noted can still be done one way or another:

Currency conversion in Spotlight Search:
Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 20.35.55.png

You can right-click to lookup any word (or activate look-up on three-fingers tap in the trackpad settings), look-up through Spotlight Search, or just open the dictionary app.
Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 20.40.07.png Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 20.42.18.png

And weather and stocks are both available in the notification centre:
Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 20.44.24.png

I personally always found the Dashboard awkward to navigate with a mouse and keyboard interface. I prefer to access all these features separately as they are now. But that's just my opinion. :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2499723
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.