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Where do you put your Dock and why?


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View Poll Results: Where do you put your Dock?
Bottom 36 63.16%
Left 7 12.28%
Right 11 19.30%
Other (using 3rd-party app) 2 3.51%
Any of the above on a secondary display 1 1.75%
Voters: 57. You may not vote on this poll

Where do you put your Dock and why?
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SonOfSylvanus
Fro Productions(tm)
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: London Town
 
2005-01-24, 19:32

Where do you put your Dock and why?

You could even mention which iCandy options you have enabled: Size? Genie Effect? Magnification? Hiding?

Mine is on the Left (smaller than half size w/ Genie Effect, no Magnification, no Hiding). I think the Dock is most out of the way—but crucially still readily accessible—when on the left. On the right it overlays the default space for Desktop items.

IMO having the Dock anchored at the bottom of the screen is the worst option—it interferes with window resizing and hot corners most when there. I think the Dock should be as small as possible, but not too small that the icons cease to be easily discernible. I don't store any icons in the Dock (since I use the application launcher Quicksilver), so that keeps things pretty manageable... though I do still have 13 open apps right now.

Magnification can cause some GUI lag when the CPU is suddenly forced to do it and this reduces the "cool!" effect, so I don't use it. Plus accidentally magnifying icons gets irksome. I did use hiding for a while (and still do Cmd-Option-D when using screen hungry applications), but don't like the lag that sometimes occurs, nor unintentionally mousing to the bottom of the screen and having the Dock pop up.

With a dual monitor set-up, my Dock placement would likely be a little different—maybe on the right of the inferior display, with my (primary) Desktop on the superior display. iDunno...

I'm really interested in GUI choices like this. Again, iDunno why...

Oh- and... after 15 months I still dig Genie (+Shift)

bouncy bouncy

Last edited by SonOfSylvanus : 2005-01-24 at 19:38.
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Paul
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: New York City
 
2005-01-24, 20:29

I try to switch it up every 6-8 months or so between left and right. Currently it is on the right, centered, with "Suck In" as the effect ...
I don't normally have magnification, but when I have a few minimized windows in there I have it set to kick in.

1215/234215 (top .51875%)
People really have got to stop thinking there is only one operating system, one economic system, one religion, and one business model. -EvilTwinSkippy (/.)
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2005-01-24, 20:32

I don't use any of those. I have it on the right, pinned at the start. I got it there using a terminal command. It's the best place for it, IMHO.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2005-01-24, 20:37

I have it hidden, on the bottom, on an external LCD on my Powerbook. On my Cube I just have it hidden on the bottom.
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SonOfSylvanus
Fro Productions(tm)
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: London Town
 
2005-01-24, 20:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by torifile
I don't use any of those. I have it on the right, pinned at the start. I got it there using a terminal command. It's the best place for it, IMHO.
Huh?

You mean with one end pinned in the corner?

And "suck in" effect, Paul?
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2005-01-24, 20:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by SonOfSylvanus
Huh?

You mean with one end pinned in the corner?

And "suck in" effect, Paul?
Yup. It's the best way.

Open up the terminal and type
Code:
defaults write com.apple.dock pinning start
Then type
Code:
killall Dock
to restart the dock.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-01-24, 21:02

Paul, you need to check your e-mail.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2005-01-24, 21:20

I put mine at the bottom, leaving maximum side-to-side screen available (Illustrator and Photoshop pallettes and whatnot). I've tried the "hide Dock" thing, but I guess I just like seeing everything there.
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ast3r3x
25 chars of wasted space.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2005-01-24, 21:44

Mine is at the bottom pinned to the start.

It lets my adium buddy list expand further down (on the right side of the screen), and offers more room for PS palettes.

Small magnification on, just to emphasize what I'm on without causing too much movement.

About 48x48 size by the way, maybe it zooms to 52x52 or something close.

Too much info?
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autodata
hustlin
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-01-24, 21:48

on the right. There's too much activity that starts on the left side of the screen.
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Jay
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
 
2005-01-24, 23:04

I used to have it on the left but I use Tinker Tool to put it on the bottom and have it pinned to the end so I can squeeze in iTunes for the rest of the space. It would be a lot better if I had more than 12" of space to work with but I don't use the dock all that much because using the keyboard is so much faster than the track pad.
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BlueRabbit
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
 
2005-01-25, 00:53

Bottom and hidden. This generally works well, although it occasionally pops up when I don't want it to.
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IonYz
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Chicagoland
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2005-01-25, 01:33

Work: Bottom, hidden, with slightly larger then normal icons.
Home: Bottom, always visible, with slightly smaller then normal icons.

Neither place do I use magnify as it feels insignificant at lower settings and moves icons too much at higher settings.

Why bottom? Because on both my 19" CRT and my 20" Alu Cinema, it offers the widest area to grow as opposed to having it on either side and growing vertically. While I use two screens at work, the other almost always has some fullscreen, non-input application on it; web browser, news reader, etc.

Although when I'm at work and flustered (Dock begins to shrink size from to many icons) I can't find jack down there. At that point most all application switching is done either by cmd+tab quickly or holding with the mouse, or using LaunchBar which I favor the most.

Anyone know a good Application list that would reside at the right of the menubar like OS 9 did? Something light and non-invasive (haxie). Think having a drop-down list would help me find things better via mouse.

/* styling for my posts */
.intelligence {display: none;}
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Paul
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: New York City
 
2005-01-25, 01:37

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ities/asm.html
http://www.vercruesse.de/software

works great well worth it the $, just for the nostalgia!
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FFL
Fishhead Family Reunited
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Slightly Off Center
 
2005-01-25, 01:42

On the right, pinned to the bottom.
So the Trash is where it is damn well s'posed to be!
Both of my computers are widescreen - right or left side is the only way to go.
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Franz Josef
Passing by
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London, Europe
 
2005-01-25, 01:53

Bottom - small, with lots of apps. Switch between having magnification on and not - find it a little unnnerving.
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Wrao
Yarp
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Road Warrior
 
2005-01-25, 01:53

I have mine at the bottom. I tinkered with having it on the right and left and bottom right and bottom left, but I ultimately decided the bottom middle is the best place for it, for my usage at least.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2005-01-25, 08:05

Mine's in the backyard... I keep the grill and some planters out there but I really don't sit out there much~
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Koodari
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2005-01-25, 10:20

Right side, because even though iBook is 4:3, vertical space is more important. Size is such that I have about 15-20 icons in there, all apps. I don't minimize windows or drag folders in Dock, and usually don't use apps other than the ones permanently in the Dock. No Genie, I like the Scale. No hiding - the Dock gives little information as is, having to mouseover for it would be unbearable. About 15% magnification, just enough to give an easily visible mouseover effect for feedback.

Whatever app I use it's usually maximized. I think that gives me approx. 4:3 space for the app considering the menu bar on top, and Dock on the right in aforementioned size.
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moof
 
 
2005-01-25, 12:15

I've tried moving it to the right, but it always ends up down and to the left. I think most guys are like this anyways.

Depending on what site I have in my browser window, it might end up vertical, right up the middle. Maybe a little curve right at the end.
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onlyafterdark
Sucker for shiny objects
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Kitchener, ON
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2005-01-25, 12:21

Down at the bottom and somewhat small. No magnification and genie. Everything else just seems weird to me.
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Franz Josef
Passing by
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London, Europe
 
2005-01-25, 18:06

Quote:
Originally Posted by IonYz
Work: Bottom, hidden, with slightly larger then normal icons.
Home: Bottom, always visible, with slightly smaller then normal icons.
imagine being able to use a Mac at work- I fight XP / Lotus daily.....
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IonYz
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Chicagoland
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2005-01-25, 23:27

Quote:
Originally Posted by Franz Josef
imagine being able to use a Mac at work- I fight XP / Lotus daily.....
I'd be fighting Win2K to this day if I hadn't bought the Cube on close-out and use that as a Workstation. Since then I've swapped my upgraded Power Mac and stock Cube back and forth.

/* styling for my posts */
.intelligence {display: none;}
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fosterhere
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-01-26, 08:23

Bottom, hidden, magnification on, genie on I like all the bells and whistles its fun its a mac if I wanted dull I would buy a Dell and I see no lag on my 12" G4 Powerbook. By the with the screen real estate what it is on a 12" hidden is the only way to go
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