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Over the past couple of days I've posted mini-reviews of a couple of Dock customization utilities, of which there seem to be a large number available. Does the animated icon bouncing in the Dock while applications are starting up bug you? Check out Unsanity Software's freeware Dock Detox, which will disable the bouncing during appliaction loads, but still allow icons to bounce in "alert" mode. Additionally, it includes a development kit for third-party developers to intercept the Dock icon bounce requests and display visual feedback in their applications.
For Dock Detox to function, another free product by Unsanity is required, called Application Enhancer (APE)
For more information, visit:
Another Unsanity Dock haxie is ClearDock 1.2.4, which changes the Dock background on Mac OS X 10.2 to fully transparent or adds customizable colors and border http://www.unsanity.com/download.php?product=cleardock
Then of course there's the relatively venerable TinkerTool, which adds an additional control panel for the System Preferences application that allows users to access more operating system settings than are usually visible in the standard panels, including Dock settings, such as:
TinkerTool is freeware.
You can check it out at:
Yet another Dock customization utility is TransparentDock 2. The transparency level of the Dock is fully adjustable, from fully transparent to fully opaque, or somewhere in between. An assortment of options are available to enhance the appearance & functionality of the Dock, and each can be applied independently, or combined into a theme. A fully customizeable palette allows saving & switching between an unlimited number of custom dock themes. As always, built-in reset options allow returning the dock to its original state.
Version 2.0.2:
System requirements:
TransparentDock 2 is shareware/donationware (suggested: $8.00)
For more information, visit:
These are all very small applications that download in minutes over dialup and seconds on broadband. OSX Browser Bank and Store Compatibility Issues Haxies, WindowShading, And Related Issues From Jonathan Tyzack Hi Charles, In response to Glen Fisher, I was merely using the WindowShade X problem as an illutstration of the potential for an APE using hack to cause systemwide issues, which is why they are *potentially* a bad thing. I am not stating outright that no one should use any haxies ever - many people find the features they allow extremely useful and at present, the Unsanity supplied ones haves caused few problems - long may it stay that way. But what happens when APE hacks start appearing from everywhere and anywhere - do we honestly want a "Haxie (extension) manager" type approach to troubleshooting in OS X? One of the great benefits for me of OS X over OS 9 is that I don't have to go through that rigamarole anymore... Maybe I'm overstating the possibilities here, but my fear is that the more of these hacks you end up using and come to depending upon, the more difficulty you are going to encounter when it comes to troubleshooting any issues you have with OS X. It isn't that APE is a bad thing now, it is that it could be a bad thing in the future. Incidentally, this is an example of why I hate windowshading so much: You have twenty or so overlapping windows of similar size and at similar locations on the screen (not at all an uncommon thing for me when browsing in OS X). Stacking or tiling them is not practical as your screen resolution only suits at best three or four windows being stacked/tiled before they have to become so small in the height/width dimensions that it isn't convenient to go beyond any more than that. So, inevitably, the titlebars of many windows overlap each other. Now, let's say you've windowshaded all of those open windows and you want to get to one of the windows in the middle - what do you have to do to get there (assuming Windowshading is the only option you have)? Because they are all obscuring each other to some extent, you are forced to shuffle all those other titlebars out of the way first just to find the one you want! Now all your other windows are in the wrong location on the screen when you unshade them and everything is a terrible mess... An extreme example (fwiw, as I am no longer using WS X in OS X, this is Mozilla running in Classic with the Kaleidoscope enabled Aqua skin) - spot the OS X Odyssey browser window amidst this lot:
Either you shuffle a lot of titlebars, or you revert to the "Window" menu which IIRC, only came into existence in OS 9 and wasn't even present in OS 7 or 8! For me, window shading is only of any use to take a quick look-see behind the front-most window. I much prefer to use the Dock with minimised windows, or command-tilde to cycle through. BTW, why don't you use magnification? I've not got any problem distinguishing windows (or other icons) in the dock and it only takes a quick mouse scoot to see *all* minimised windows within a second or so:
It isn't perfect, but I'm liking the look of Expose as a means of solving the issues I do have with it.
Cheers,
Hi Jonathan;
Different strokes. I don't find resorting to the Window Menu a hardship, at least in Tex Edit Plus, which is the app. that owns most of my windowshaded open documents. I find that I can tile and stagger them to leave at least seven or eight bars visible without shrinking windows from the default (which is compact in TE+). With browsers, tabbed browsing has largely obviated the need for windowshading. On browser applications that support tabbed browsing, I rarely have more than two or three actual browser windows open, but lots of tabs. (Which come to think of it would be a nice feature in word-crunching applications).
Re: magnification, for one thing, I'm working on a 12.1" screen, and I try to keep the Dock as compact and out of the way as is practical. I also usually have the Dock pretty full of running applications and some folders I keep there, and you just run out of space collapsing a dozen or more open windows to the thing. And I just don't find mousing over to the Dock to root around for a document anywhere near as intuitive as dropping the Window menu if necessary (and it's usually not in practise) to access a windowshaded document. There is the issue of spatial orientation as well. The windowshaded title bar remains where you remember the document was. I find it grossly counterintuitive to have it schlep over to the other side of the screen (I prefer to keep the Dock vertically oriented on the right, where I used to park the OS 9 Application Switcher palette) when collapsed.
Charles OSX Browser Bank and Store Compatibility Issues From Michael Koren I really do love working with Safari more than any browser I've ever used. But the one issue I seem to run into with some predictability is problems with on-line stores where pruduct illustration popups don't draw, with some banks which seem to demand Netscape or often only-Explorer compatability or they won't even allow access and so on. Have you are anyone run into similar issues and is there any good explanation as to what is going on? I noticed this also in the past with other browsers like Chimera and Omniweb. Michael
HI Michael;
I think banks are ultra conservative about browser support for security reasons. Interestingly, while I've found that Safari won't work with my CitiBank credit card account, ICab works fine, perhaps bacause it can itentify itself as Mozilla/Netscape.
Charles
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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