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Do you use Launchpad?
- Thread starter bill-p
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I hope the developer(s) behind Onyx find a way to completely disable launchpad. I don't use dashboard, so thankfully Onyx gives me the option to turn it off and save me some processor power and memory.
Simply removing launchpad from the dock only does just that. Its still running in the background and this is true when you download an app via app store.
If I want it completely gone and have no use for it (as many others here share the same feeling towards launchpad) there SHOULD be an option to *completely* disable it.
I want this useless shortcut app gone.
Simply removing launchpad from the dock only does just that. Its still running in the background and this is true when you download an app via app store.
If I want it completely gone and have no use for it (as many others here share the same feeling towards launchpad) there SHOULD be an option to *completely* disable it.
I want this useless shortcut app gone.
Your complaints earlier in this thread were all about Mission Control. I tend to agree Mission Control is trying to be too many things. But Launch Pad isn't that bad. It is just an iPad view of your applications. It isn't hurting anything on your computer.
If the iPad can handle running LaunchPad with it's 512meg memory and arm cpu, and not have any issues at all, I'm sure it isn't causing even the slightest little bump for macs.
Some people like it, some people don't. There really is no need to remove it, and there especially isn't any reason to fret over it.
I am comnig from PC's and have never owned a Mac.
I would consider myself a power user with many applications and utilities installed.
I cannot believe that people would prefer to type the name in spotlight or fill up their docks with applications.
Sure if you have 2-5 applications that you use then that makes sense but if you have a lot more it is not manageable.
In windows I can create a folder in my start menu and organize how I wish.
So if I want all my media applications together, or all my utilities, or whatever its quite easy and inuitive.
In Mac putting the application folder on your doc is ok (or at least better then spotlight since very few of the many applications I have installed I actually remember the name until I see it) However it is quite limited in administrative ability since a lot of the applications you cannot move into other folders without creating alias etc..
I just find in windows it was a LOT simpler to do.
However with Launchpad you have functionality where you can easily group, move, organize how you wish. Granted its far from perfect but at least it gives you something that the other methods cannot do.
I would consider myself a power user with many applications and utilities installed.
I cannot believe that people would prefer to type the name in spotlight or fill up their docks with applications.
Sure if you have 2-5 applications that you use then that makes sense but if you have a lot more it is not manageable.
In windows I can create a folder in my start menu and organize how I wish.
So if I want all my media applications together, or all my utilities, or whatever its quite easy and inuitive.
In Mac putting the application folder on your doc is ok (or at least better then spotlight since very few of the many applications I have installed I actually remember the name until I see it) However it is quite limited in administrative ability since a lot of the applications you cannot move into other folders without creating alias etc..
I just find in windows it was a LOT simpler to do.
However with Launchpad you have functionality where you can easily group, move, organize how you wish. Granted its far from perfect but at least it gives you something that the other methods cannot do.
You can create a folder anywhere on the hard drive, with subfolders and aliases/shortcuts to any application you like. Take the base folder and drag it to your dock and presto, you've got manageable shortcuts organized by folder.
The only problem with that is you now have to take care of 'synchronizing' your shortcut folders with the application folder whenever your app folder changes. Something that is not necessary with Launchpad.
Thats true but most people don't move their application to another folder once its been installed. I know for some applications moving them around to a new location from the defualt will mess things up (adobe creative suite, for example, messes up, or at least used to, with updates and such).
Still, for most people once they install it they'll *probably* move it to a folder of their choice before they make their shortcuts the way i described.
I've never had the urge to move applications out of the applications folder though, except for the creative suite, I wish it were moved into one single folder (thereby keeping things organized, the root applications folder is very messy imo otherwise). I won't do it because ive had a bad experience doing it, so i just leave every install as stock.
I'm surprised that with all these posts nobody ever questioned the OP's statement:
Autosave/Resume, "Natural" Scrolling, disappearing scrollbars, built-in full screen support, poor support for multiple displays. These are changes from Snow Leopard to Lion that are iOS-like.
It has already been pointed out that one can make a folder heirarchy of aliases and put that in the dock to get something like the Start menu. It should also be pointed out that that is exactly how the Windows Start menu works! c:\Documents and Settings\your user name or "All Users"\Start Menu are the hierarchies of folders containing aliases to your programs in Windows. And since Windows has no single Applications folder it is more difficult to add applications to the Start menu than it is to add to the Mac menus.
Autosave/Resume, "Natural" Scrolling, disappearing scrollbars, built-in full screen support, poor support for multiple displays. These are changes from Snow Leopard to Lion that are iOS-like.
It has already been pointed out that one can make a folder heirarchy of aliases and put that in the dock to get something like the Start menu. It should also be pointed out that that is exactly how the Windows Start menu works! c:\Documents and Settings\your user name or "All Users"\Start Menu are the hierarchies of folders containing aliases to your programs in Windows. And since Windows has no single Applications folder it is more difficult to add applications to the Start menu than it is to add to the Mac menus.
Nothing is quicker than cmd + spacebar + type
Plus i can never seem to get out of launchpad with gestures, getting in works fine
Exactly. Your hands are already there in that position nothing is faster or easier then spotlight. Launchpad is eye candy nothing more. You activate it and then you still have to go through pages and folders if you have created them. Hands down it you have a keyboard there is no point in using launchpad
If the iPad ran lion instead of iOS I would use launchpad cause it makes sense on that model. But as we all know, apple has stated they won't make a touchscreen desktop.
I agree totally. Launchpad is useless And for all you lion lovers that say just drag it off your dock and forget about it. It's still there if you use the app store
I want an option to disable it completely. I was able to delete the launchpad application from the apps folder but it's still there
I'm fine with the app store flying apps into my dock cause I have choice
Weather they stay or go
I'm surprised so many people like it, even more that people use it. Personally I think it's one of the dumber things they've added... I prefer a minimal dock and nothing on my desktop, but Launchpad is a sluggish means of working through a list of applications.
Faster than Launchpad:
Shift-Command-A opens the applications folder, type the first letter of the app name
Command-Space opens the Spotlight search bubble and you can launch the app from the results.
Faster than Launchpad:
Shift-Command-A opens the applications folder, type the first letter of the app name
Command-Space opens the Spotlight search bubble and you can launch the app from the results.
I use it all the time and really like it. My dock just has Finder, System Preferences, Trash Can, LaunchPad and Mission control (the last two I don't really need there either). Everything else I just launch from the Pad.
Love it
At first it was frustrating. It would rest after a restart after being organized. That was fixed after the last update. But instead of trying to hide them with a small app I found, I compromised
(I just created a headache when I DID use it. After restart all the hidden apps reappeared and then I had duplicates. I had to figure out how to reset the whole thing, which worked, and started over.)
I got rid of that app and just put all the apps I'd prefer to hide on the next page, as everything else is on my first page of Launchpad.
I reorganized my apps in such folders and kept out the most used ones.
I also love a minimal dock and only use it for open apps and my downloads folder, trash and kept the apps folder to easy delete my apps if I need to.
I also figured a way to change the color of the folders and inside the folder as well. Red just Pops more, although I could change it to anything really.
I also changed my background for Mission Control and Dashboard.
So I've learned to love Launchpad after some organization visual modifications.
First thing I had to do before I did anything else was use BetterTouchTool to make a custom gesture to open launchpad, as to me it's useless in efficiency when that's not enabled. Apple should have created a gesture for the magic mouse and not JUST the touchpad. Gotta Love BTT for that and so much more. It makes it needless to even GET a touchpad as I already have the magic mouse.
Here is a bit of advice, make it YOURS and you may love it too. I just had to tweak with some things to get the whole system setup right for me before I could appreciate the features. Eventually the red will bore me and I'll change it.
Let me know if anyone is interested in how I changed the color. It was quite easy once I found the right files. It took a little guess work as I found nothing helpful on the internet as to which files to change, as least then when it was newer.
At first it was frustrating. It would rest after a restart after being organized. That was fixed after the last update. But instead of trying to hide them with a small app I found, I compromised
(I just created a headache when I DID use it. After restart all the hidden apps reappeared and then I had duplicates. I had to figure out how to reset the whole thing, which worked, and started over.)
I got rid of that app and just put all the apps I'd prefer to hide on the next page, as everything else is on my first page of Launchpad.
I reorganized my apps in such folders and kept out the most used ones.
I also love a minimal dock and only use it for open apps and my downloads folder, trash and kept the apps folder to easy delete my apps if I need to.
I also figured a way to change the color of the folders and inside the folder as well. Red just Pops more, although I could change it to anything really.
I also changed my background for Mission Control and Dashboard.
So I've learned to love Launchpad after some organization visual modifications.
First thing I had to do before I did anything else was use BetterTouchTool to make a custom gesture to open launchpad, as to me it's useless in efficiency when that's not enabled. Apple should have created a gesture for the magic mouse and not JUST the touchpad. Gotta Love BTT for that and so much more. It makes it needless to even GET a touchpad as I already have the magic mouse.
Here is a bit of advice, make it YOURS and you may love it too. I just had to tweak with some things to get the whole system setup right for me before I could appreciate the features. Eventually the red will bore me and I'll change it.
Let me know if anyone is interested in how I changed the color. It was quite easy once I found the right files. It took a little guess work as I found nothing helpful on the internet as to which files to change, as least then when it was newer.
Attachments
If Launchpad is supposed to be a benefit, then the dock would need to go. The dock is *needed* for launchpad to be used, and that takes up about 85pixels of height in screen space, more or less depending on the size of your dock.
Everything to the left or right of the dock where there is extra space does not get used, windows basically float JUST above the dock.
Therefor, slimming down the dock horizontally doesnt make a difference, or much for most users.
I understand how some people like to have only 4 icons or less in their dock (to me that looks empty), but I for one would prefer to have my most used applications at the bottom at ALL TIMES. I don't want to have to go through the launchpad just to get to my applications.
Given that a shortcut folder with aliases can be brought into the dock itself or the entire applications folder if you wanna go nuts and even then you get to customize how the icons are displayed (list, fan and grid, which makes grid look more or less exactly like launchpad).
All that said, launchpad is mostly useless.
However, there is no reason why:
a) it can continue to exist in OS X
b) have the option of being disabled
c) have the option of being disabled AND completely removed
A simple option would alleviate this problem for all noobs/power users of OS X and everyone in between.
Everything to the left or right of the dock where there is extra space does not get used, windows basically float JUST above the dock.
Therefor, slimming down the dock horizontally doesnt make a difference, or much for most users.
I understand how some people like to have only 4 icons or less in their dock (to me that looks empty), but I for one would prefer to have my most used applications at the bottom at ALL TIMES. I don't want to have to go through the launchpad just to get to my applications.
Given that a shortcut folder with aliases can be brought into the dock itself or the entire applications folder if you wanna go nuts and even then you get to customize how the icons are displayed (list, fan and grid, which makes grid look more or less exactly like launchpad).
All that said, launchpad is mostly useless.
However, there is no reason why:
a) it can continue to exist in OS X
b) have the option of being disabled
c) have the option of being disabled AND completely removed
A simple option would alleviate this problem for all noobs/power users of OS X and everyone in between.
I used to dislike it until I got Launchpad Control and removed all these folders from Launchpad, now it's not that bad.
Probably would like it even more if there were a way to arrange (well, I can do that already but it's no fun to drag the icons all the time) and/or remove the icons without using 3rd party software.
Probably would like it even more if there were a way to arrange (well, I can do that already but it's no fun to drag the icons all the time) and/or remove the icons without using 3rd party software.
Yeah that's the app I tried, and I LOVED it, that was until I restarted my computer and it all got screwed up. All the hidden icons came back and created DUPLICATES. It was horrible, I had to figure out how to reset the entire Launchpad. I gave up with that app, although I loved the features, but Lion had to reset it all and debunked the whole purpose. I just changed my method of organization, and now I LOVE launchpad. I will use Launchpad for some things, and Quicksilver for others I don't use as often. I like it better than having a cluttered dock.
Autosave and resume are not iOS-only features. Autosave has been around long before iOS came about, and there is nothing like Resume on iOS. There is nothing in iOS that allows reverting back to a previous version of a document. In fact... even undoing is quite limited on iOS.
"Natural" scrolling has arguably been done before, at least on Windows, and it's not iOS-like since it's just reversing the scroll direction rather than follow finger movement like in iOS.
Fullscreen is activated via a switch, and arguably not an iOS-like feature as there have existed apps that support their own fullscreen modes since long ago on OSX.
Disappearing scrollbars are arguably the next feature that I admit is quite iOS-like, but there is a big difference: you can hover the mouse cursor over and drag just the scrollbars or click on a spot to jump instantly to a part of the page. On iOS, the scrollbars don't behave as such.
The guidelines for iOS programming and indeed the API has support for autosave and resume. The ability for the OS to shut off an app to regain space and restart it later has been available in iOS at least since it has supported multiple running applications. As usual, it is up to the application writer to take advantage of these facilities. Most Apple provided apps (thinking here of Music, Notes, Safari, Contacts... I use these frequently) autosave and resume and always have.
I never said that Versions was in iOS. That's only for now in OS X.
Arguable. There was no reason to change the direction in OS X except to have it match iOS. In OS X you used to scroll further into a document by scrolling down, now you scroll up, just like iOS.
"apps that support their own fullscreen modes" however OSX support for fullscreen has only appeared in Lion. iOS supports only fullscreen apps.
Nothing is quicker than cmd + spacebar + type
Plus i can never seem to get out of launchpad with gestures, getting in works fine
If you remember the name of the app, yes.