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Do you use Launchpad?
- Thread starter bill-p
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I tried using Launchpad, first organizing apps into folders/rows etc wondering if i would "get it" and discover a new way of working. I even removed all of my Dock icons! Eventually after a day i gave up with it, it didn't add anything useful for me at all and made opening apps up a much slower process.
I went back to having a small/wide dock filled with apps i regularly used(separated into types by empty dock spacers) The stuff used rarely is accessed through Spotlight.
Not gonna say its rubbish, i'm sure some will find it useful but i wasn't one of them
I went back to having a small/wide dock filled with apps i regularly used(separated into types by empty dock spacers) The stuff used rarely is accessed through Spotlight.
Not gonna say its rubbish, i'm sure some will find it useful but i wasn't one of them
No, a feature was *removed*
Unlike some, I multitask a lot. I sometimes have 10-20 windows open between only 2-4 applications (photoshop, illustrator, indesign, etc).
They managed to screw this up completely by grouping all of the open windows within an application when trying to view everything at once.
This alone KILLS my productivity. Don't assume that nothing was made worse, Apple isn't godlike.
i found it easy to adapt to (once i organized things).
i NEVER use the dock (i have it locked away, and for YEARS now LOL).
my only wish: app folders should automatically CLOSE in Launchpad, after you select an app from a folder.
but i find it (on my macbook, anyway) a simple and fast way to open my most-used and often-used apps...
i NEVER use the dock (i have it locked away, and for YEARS now LOL).
my only wish: app folders should automatically CLOSE in Launchpad, after you select an app from a folder.
but i find it (on my macbook, anyway) a simple and fast way to open my most-used and often-used apps...
+1 I find when I go onto the launchpad most of the time there's a folder open...
I don't know what you mean by "grouping all of the open windows within an application" when it's up to you how you group windows between desktops within Mission Control.
Ok, a scenario then:
If I have 6 documents open in photoshop, 3 in illustrator and 2 in indesign, I *should* have a total of 11 windows spread apart when activating mission control. Instead, I have only THREE and I have no way of previewing/selecting windows behind the one in front thats displayed as theyre all cascading.
The only time it displays all windows spread apart within an application is when I isolate mission control to that SINGLE application.
Expose didnt group anything and it was *very* fast switching between documents for anyone who multitasks. I found Expose on Snow Leopard so good that I didnt need to use spaces.
If I'm understanding you correctly, if you had all three apps loaded onto one desktop, then once you activate Mission Control you would have three groups of windows that can each be spread apart using your scroll wheel (sorry, I don't have a touchpad), right? Then you could very easily move your windows into different desktops, if that's what works for you. I currently have seven windows open on my Finder desktop and just tried it and it seems to work fine.
So you do in fact have a way of selecting the windows in back and doing with them as you see fit.
I dont want to use several desktops. I multitask between applications when working on ONE single project so I need to be within *one* single desktop.
And no, the scroll wheel does not spread out the grouped windows, it only slightly enlarges them when scrolling up or scales them back down when scrolling down.
Like I said, Mission Control is a complete disaster. Even for those who do use Spaces, theres no way of rearranging the order of spaces.
If you don't want to use different desktops, then Mission Control obviously isn't for you.
For me, it does indeed spread them out quite a bit.
I guess we are all entitled to our opinions.
Huh? Have you noticed what's going on in the bottom three quarters of the screen in Mission Control.
You mean how you get an Exposè view of the current desktop? In my mind, that's meant to make it easier to distribute windows to different desktops, which is the reason for my comment.
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*facepalm*
Ok, click here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktTNcj0fAM4
Skip passed to 1:34 and that is EXACTLY what I need. I dont want photoshops windows grouped. I want *all* windows spread out.
A simple option in Mission Control that says 'group application windows' would solve this problem.
And here, just for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUDmk6bcoY
^notice that all firefox windows are grouped together when activating mission control? And notice how the preview BARELY enlarge when I scroll UP to expand them?
Like I said, Apple really screwed up Expose. They 'fixed' something that was never broken.
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+1 on wiku's statement on Apple screwing up expose.
I frequently have at least 5-6 pdf files opened on one space, another 3-4 cad tool windows on another, etc. and its a pain in the ass to switch to a specific window in an instant. Really slows my pace down.
And wow Dale Sorel not only do you have trouble understanding simple problems, you also have trouble typing English. Seriously your posts make my head hurt.
I frequently have at least 5-6 pdf files opened on one space, another 3-4 cad tool windows on another, etc. and its a pain in the ass to switch to a specific window in an instant. Really slows my pace down.
And wow Dale Sorel not only do you have trouble understanding simple problems, you also have trouble typing English. Seriously your posts make my head hurt.
Like I said, we are all entitled to our opinion.
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I guess you have a problem reading complete sentences. Sorry about that, Alpha male, I'll try working on my posts just for you.
To me the natural workflow is to have my most often used apps in the dock and gesture into Launchpad when I need to access any other apps.
If you have arranged your apps in such a way that they are easy to get at (I have all of mine on one single page) then I can't imagine any faster way to get at apps than gesture + click on the app.
With spotlight you have to type. With the applications folder you might have to scroll. With all of that said, it isn't perfect. The aforementioned issues around uninstaller files, some apps not being recognized, etc.
Use what makes the most sense to you. It doesn't mean it isn't useful for others. I find it a bit brash to characterize all users of a feature as illiterates or idiots. Personal preference.
If you have arranged your apps in such a way that they are easy to get at (I have all of mine on one single page) then I can't imagine any faster way to get at apps than gesture + click on the app.
With spotlight you have to type. With the applications folder you might have to scroll. With all of that said, it isn't perfect. The aforementioned issues around uninstaller files, some apps not being recognized, etc.
Use what makes the most sense to you. It doesn't mean it isn't useful for others. I find it a bit brash to characterize all users of a feature as illiterates or idiots. Personal preference.
For me i dont like launchpad for lion. I rather use the the applications folder and icons in my dock this is the way i like to use my os to others set it up the way you want it.
I keep a clean dock as well. Just running apps and a few folders. I use Launchbar 90% of the time. It never even occurs to me to use Launchpad. LP also looks horrible on a large monitor.
I like Mission Control, but that's partly because Expose was screwed up in 10.6. Having all windows scaled to be equivalent sizes and bringing up the dock really ruined it. I used Expose all the time before 10.6. I'm using Mission Control almost as much as I used Expose before 10.6, and I'm using different spaces, too. I just wish they'd make spaces work better with multiple monitors.
Back to the topic, I've been trying to use Launchpad, but in general I don't because I already had a solution. When 10.5 introduced "stacks" I created a folder with aliases for my most-used programs and turned it into a stack. It was a "Start menu" of sorts. Over time I further customized it to have folders that grouped programs. It's much faster than Launchpad, in part because the icons are larger (and I could customize the icons for folders that grouped certain programs), and in part because there are far fewer icons. Programs that I use much less often are usually called up through Spotlight.
Granted, setting up that stack takes a bit more effort than accessing Launchpad, but it was definitely worth it. I was hoping for Launchpad back when we were on 10.4; Stacks wasn't a solution set up by the operating system, but it worked perfectly for the task.