- #MAC OS DOCK HISTORY MAC OS X#
- #MAC OS DOCK HISTORY ARCHIVE#
- #MAC OS DOCK HISTORY SOFTWARE#
- #MAC OS DOCK HISTORY PC#
I’m now reliant on position within the Dock for distinguishing several of Apple’s app icons. Use variations in shape and image as primary differentiating factors.” When icons are easily distinguishable, people learn their purpose and location quickly. What’s even more frustrating is that Apple does understand the value of form or shape in the recognition of Toolbar Icons, for which it states: “Make toolbar icons distinct, but harmonious. Subtleties like the viewing loupe on Preview vanish once you’re working with the small icons seen in many Docks.
#MAC OS DOCK HISTORY ARCHIVE#
Messages and FaceTime are also almost the same, and I regularly open the wrong one now, sometimes even Archive Utility by mistake. Two – the App Store and Developer apps – are almost identical even if you press your nose against the display and squint. That’s hardly a subtle adjustment that continues “to express a rounded rectangle silhouette”.Ĭompare those with Apple’s new compliant app icons: There is one Apple app icon in those, QuickTime Player, which is among very few which has so far been allowed to cheat by looking as it’s still circular, as it’s superimposed on a near-black background. (You can click on these images to view them in their own window.) The easiest are my own apps and others from before the redesign, which use every means available to make them distinct. With that many icons to display, even along the long side of my 27-inch display, Dock icons don’t get much space, and readily look indistinguishable. With Apple’s edict, all its own app icons, and those of many third parties, have now adopted the rounded rectangle, making them uniform, and in many cases barely distinguishable. I rely on the following to distinguish the apps there: It seems to have collected a total of around 66 app icons at the moment, although I do periodically perform housekeeping on it, lest it gets really out of hand. If you’ve got a large display, your Dock might be as busy as mine. A unique, memorable icon evokes your app and can help people recognize it at a glance on the desktop, in Finder, and in the Dock.” But it’s all downhill from there to “In macOS 11, app icons share a common set of visual attributes, including the rounded-rectangle shape, front-facing perspective, level position, and uniform drop shadow.” Even “If you must alter the shape, prefer subtle adjustments that continue to express a rounded rectangle silhouette.” The frequency with which I open the wrong Apple app from the Dock isn’t getting any less.Īpple’s new macOS Human Interface Guidelines start off with the best of intentions, saying “Beautiful app icons are an important part of the user experience on all Apple platforms. There are some intractable issues which remain, though: rounded rectangles for QuickLook thumbnails and previews still grate every time, and I continue trying to drag the occasional busy window Title Bar by the wrong bit.
#MAC OS DOCK HISTORY SOFTWARE#
ObjectDock 2.1 is available to all software users as a free download for Windows.We’re only two months on since Big Sur’s major redesign, and despite the initial outcry, I seem to have settled into much of its new look and feel.
#MAC OS DOCK HISTORY PC#
This download is licensed as freeware for the Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) operating system on a laptop or desktop PC from desktop enhancement software without restrictions. Access your shortcuts and applications from an animated dock.On the bad side, the free version does have some limitations which can be annoying.
#MAC OS DOCK HISTORY MAC OS X#
With tons of beautiful themes for ObjectDock available online, you're able to use it to customize your desktop and have your Windows PC looking a little more like a Mac OS X desktop. The ObjectDock bar can reside on either side of your desktop and automatically hides itself when you're using a full-screen program. Hovering over icons also reveals a label describing the icon. Similar to Linux and Mac OS X docks, this one includes smooth transitions when you hover your mouse over the icons it displays. Using this dock for Windows is extremely easy: all you have to do is drag the icons which you would like included onto the ObjectDock icon bar. ObjectDock is a freeware, Mac OS X-style dock for Windows which includes an icon bar, access to files and folders and also provides quick access to useful utilities.