Wait. What? Replace the Dock? What’s wrong with the Dock? Everybody uses the Dock, right? Well, not everybody. The Dock has been around since Mac OS X at the turn of the century.
Remember, nothing improves without change and Apple hasn’t really done much to the Dock since the company bought Steve Jobs’ NeXT back in 1997. The Dock works well and is easy for newbies from Windows to use. It doesn’t require much thought but it could be better.
Your Dock, Your Way
Mac users have a few ways to customize the Dock which range from personalized icons all the way to a replacement. I like the replacement idea. That’s what ActiveDock does. It’s a better Dock that looks and feels much the same but has custom features and improved usability.
Check this out.
One click to ActiveDock gets more capability by blending in some personalization with a few Finder-like features to make it easier to launch apps, open files, dig through folders.
First up, personalization. Or, rather, customization. ActiveDock makes it easy to create custom icon sets and custom themes for the Dock.
And check this out. Again.
Beyond the eye candy ActiveDock has options to organize specific applications and documents into Folders and Groups. From there you can easily view what files are in a folder.
Also built in is a window preview option so you can not only find a specific app window, switch between windows, but view an app’s document or window without having to use Command-Tab to switch, or click on the Dock the old fashioned way.
Eye candy? Check out some of the Preferences for Dock icons.
What you end up with is a combination of improved usability, personalization, and yet in a familiar Dock that is easier to find files and folders and launch apps than the original Dock.
Caveats?
A few. First, ActiveDock needs to be tried for a few days. It’s familiar right away, but some of the customizations take effort to blend into a workflow that will change over time. Just remember the Mac360 adage– nothing improves without change.
Second, ActiveDock is try-before-you-buy and the try is important because the price tag is subscription-based. Monthly, annually, or a lifetime subscription for a single price. One thing is for sure. Use ActiveDock for a few days and you begin to think about how the Dock can be improved, and then how your own workflow can be improved.
