Launchpad!

[Skoal]

Are they ever going to make this more user friendly? I can see it as potentially being an extremely useful feature and I understand Apple is bringing OS X in line with iOS but this function is in dire need of a pref pane or some sort of user control. I know I can't remove icons from my iOS screen without deleting the app but this is OS X, why can't I decide which apps I want cluttering up my Launchpad? Why do I have to open a terminal to kill icons in my Launchpad? Why can I only remove apps I've downloaded from the app store? The list goes on! There has to be a better way. It's almost as if they created this function just because iOS has it and have completely forgotten it since.

Sorry for the rant but maybe some of you folks can enlighten me or add your opinions as to why Launchpad is what it is.

Cheers!

 

[MacManiac76]

Hold down option/alt and mouse over the widget you want to delete in Dashboard. An X will show in the upper left corner that you click on to remove the widget.

 

[spaghettieater]

no dashboard as been replaced by notification center a way more conviniant way to deal with things like that

its just a matter of time before apple gets rid of it

 

[Ritsuka]

I think the op is confusing Dashboard with Launchpad.

 

[Shirasaki]

For me, I would "Immediately" disable Dashboard as long as I install a new version of Mac OS X since its existence only confuse me when switching between desktops and full screen apps.

Notification centre could do all jobs dashboard can do, and more convenient.

Maybe, my different understanding of Mac OS X workflow impacts me to see something objectively, not subjectively, and I am improving it.

 

[Skoal]

I think the op is confusing Dashboard with Launchpad.

Yes my bad! Not sure why the hell I called it dashboard!

Having said that, Dashboard IS even more pointless these days

 

[redheeler]

Notification centre could do all jobs dashboard can do, and more convenient.

Incorrect. Notification Center can't display part of a webpage without going to it in the browser, a feature I find most convenient. There are also plenty more free widgets available for Dashboard.

I'm fine with Dashboard being disabled by default in Yosemite/10.11, but I hope it continues to exist alongside Notification Center. Some bug fixes and aesthetic improvements to match Yosemite would be nice as well, but that's probably asking too much.

 

[KALLT]

I never liked Launchpad. OS X always had the Dock and Spotlight, there is no reason for me to deal with yet another panel of icons that clogs up my working memory. Also, the fact that it’s just as limited and confusing with respect to deleting App Store apps is my personal reason for actually disliking it. Why do you have to go into Launchpad to delete App Store apps properly and why can’t you delete anything else from there?

 

[Shirasaki]

I never liked Launchpad. OS X always had the Dock and Spotlight, there is no reason for me to deal with yet another panel of icons that clogs up my working memory. Also, the fact that it’s just as limited and confusing with respect to deleting App Store apps is my personal reason for actually disliking it. Why do you have to go into Launchpad to delete App Store apps properly and why can’t you delete anything else from there?

And for many apps, launchpad is not able to delete them by dragging them to trash bin. If I want do delete an app, I will go to application folder, drag that directory to trash bin, and empty trash bin after that.

 

[oldmacs]

I love launchpad.. quickest way to launch an application not on the dock. Pinch in gesture, start typing app name and press enter and hey presto.

 

[KALLT]

And for many apps, launchpad is not able to delete them by dragging them to trash bin. If I want do delete an app, I will go to application folder, drag that directory to trash bin, and empty trash bin after that.

App Store apps are also protected and you need to enter your password to remove them. Launchpad is just this weird thing that confused pre-existing workflows without providing a clear-cut alternative. You can’t use just Launchpad, you still need to be familiar with the other procedures unless you want to live with just the App Store and never install anything else (which is really unlikely). I get the intention, but it’s just not really thought through. And, of course, it completely rejects the more powerful input and control methods of OS X and insists on using single actions as if it were a simulated iOS app. It still boggles my mind that it exists in this state.

 

[Shirasaki]

I love launchpad.. quickest way to launch an application not on the dock. Pinch in gesture, start typing app name and press enter and hey presto.

And you can do so with Spotlight. The most different is you need to press CMD + Space (or other key combination to fire up Spotlight). The others are similar.

 

[oldmacs]

And you can do so with Spotlight. The most different is you need to press CMD + Space (or other key combination to fire up Spotlight). The others are similar.

I rather doing it with launchpad as its quicker (for me) just to do a swipe them start typing + you a display of all apps with the criteria you're looking for. Eg if I put in "Disk" to launchpad it brings up both disk utility and black magic speed test instantly, where was spotlight takes a little longer.

 

[Shirasaki]

I rather doing it with launchpad as its quicker (for me) just to do a swipe them start typing + you a display of all apps with the criteria you're looking for. Eg if I put in "Disk" to launchpad it brings up both disk utility and black magic speed test instantly, where was spotlight takes a little longer.

But launchpad cannot delete apps downloaded from places outside Mac app store.

 

[redheeler]

App Store apps are also protected and you need to enter your password to remove them. Launchpad is just this weird thing that confused pre-existing workflows without providing a clear-cut alternative. You can’t use just Launchpad, you still need to be familiar with the other procedures unless you want to live with just the App Store and never install anything else (which is really unlikely). I get the intention, but it’s just not really thought through. And, of course, it completely rejects the more powerful input and control methods of OS X and insists on using single actions as if it were a simulated iOS app. It still boggles my mind that it exists in this state.

But that's pretty much what it is, an app that simulates the iOS home screen for launching apps on OS X. As @Shirasaki mentioned above, I often use Spotlight to launch apps, and that has the added benefit of working back to Tiger on older Macs as well.

 

[oldmacs]

But launchpad cannot delete apps downloaded from places outside Mac app store.

That is a good point, but it doesn't take away from the ease of launching applications

Is it due to the App Store having standardise install methods, but other apps having non standardised installs where data is left in random places in libraries etc? Making it harder for a standardised delete toll, where as the App Store apps would have one way of deleting due to the data all being in the same place for each install?

 

[oldmacs]

But that's pretty much what it is, an app that simulates the iOS home screen for launching apps on OS X. As @Shirasaki mentioned above, I often use Spotlight to launch apps, and that has the added benefit of working back to Tiger on older Macs as well.

Yeah I used to use spotlight till I got a multitouch trackpad. I still use spotlight when using lion (the launchpad search was not introduced till mountain lion), snow leopard, leopard and tiger.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

It was a response to Windows 8 beta ideas. Companies thought maybe touch screen desktops were going to be a good thing. The public said no thanks. I think Launchpad will go away from desktop machines. iOS could come to Apple notebooks to replace OS X.

 

[oldmacs]

It was a response to Windows 8 beta ideas. Companies thought maybe touch screen desktops were going to be a good thing. The public said no thanks. I think Launchpad will go away from desktop machines. iOS could come to Apple notebooks to replace OS X.

I hope not. It's not like it's forced upon the user at all like the metro Hom screen was. I know that at least some people find it useful, for me it's the quickest way to launch an application not on my dock.

 

[KALLT]

I hope not. It's not like it's forced upon the user at all like the metro Hom screen was. I know that at least some people find it useful, for me it's the quickest way to launch an application not on my dock.

It is when it comes to deleting App Store apps. It is the recommended method to delete them.

 

[oldmacs]

It is when it comes to deleting App Store apps. It is the recommended method to delete them.

Or you just drag to the trash, it does the same thing (as far as I'm aware)

 

[KALLT]

Or you just drag to the trash, it does the same thing (as far as I'm aware)

It is different. For one thing, because you need to enter an administrator password, even if you are logged in as an administrator. For another, because the deletion process is a bit more thorough when you do it via the Launchpad. It will also delete application support files from your library folder. I’ve tested this myself, it is a much cleaner way to delete apps. Furthermore, when installing an app through the App Store, the installer creates a receipt file. I am not sure whether it is really a good idea to just manually throw out an App Store application.

 

[oldmacs]

It is different. For one thing, because you need to enter an administrator password, even if you are logged in as an administrator. For another, because the deletion process is a bit more thorough when you do it via the Launchpad. It will also delete application support files from your library folder. I’ve tested this myself, it is a much cleaner way to delete apps. Furthermore, when installing an app through the App Store, the installer creates a receipt file. I am not sure whether it is really a good idea to just manually throw out an App Store application.

I've been doing it manually for years, when I feel like it. I've also been dragging mac app store apps between macs with no issues. The thing is that Apple is not forcing anyone to use launchpad, so removing it would just be plain annoying for those who do. Even if it is an easier way to delete applications.

 

[KALLT]

The thing is that Apple is not forcing anyone to use launchpad, so removing it would just be plain annoying for those who do. Even if it is an easier way to delete applications.

By creating this new mechanism, they are certainly creating more complexity where there previously was less. Now you have to remember that some apps are from the App Store and that it’s best to delete them from Launchpad. Of course you can still forcefully delete these apps from your system without any problems, but if you know that a better solution exists, wouldn’t you use it instead? Hence a bigger cognitive load. Why can’t you drag and drop App Store apps to Trash and have the same result? The user doesn’t need to know that there is a process in the background for this. The point is that Launchpad can be avoided, but it’s not entirely optional in that way.

I’m not advocating that they remove it, but I want them to be more thorough. Turn Launchpad into a proper Mac app instead of this weird iOS hybrid and don’t use it for some exclusive functions. That’s all I want. There is no reason to make the organisation of Launchpad as painful as on iOS. For your iOS device, you at least have the option to use iTunes to arrange the home screen much more effectively. You can select multiple apps at once and drag them around or into folders and you can change the order of pages. Why can’t we do this in Launchpad when the Mac is so much more powerful than an iOS device? It’s just lazy, annoying and poor, poor design.

 

[dsemf]

... There is no reason to make the organisation of Launchpad as painful as on iOS. For your iOS device, you at least have the option to use iTunes to arrange the home screen much more effectively. You can select multiple apps at once and drag them around or into folders and you can change the order of pages. Why can’t we do this in Launchpad when the Mac is so much more powerful than an iOS device? It’s just lazy, annoying and poor, poor design.

It is very easy to organize Launchpad. Just drag the icons. The first page gets the apps that are used on a regular basis, the following pages for less used apps. I tried folders, but I found that multiple pages work better for me. I set the lower left hot corner to open Launchpad: swipe down, swipe up, click.

I prefer a very minimalist desktop: Hidden dock, hidden menu bar (new with El Cap); Dock contains Finder, Downloads and Trash.