Tell me more ×
Ask Different is a question and answer site for power users of Apple hardware and software. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite
1

What are the best dock replacements?

It's frustrating to keep track of windows in the dock unless they're minimized. For instance, I often have 10-15 separate PDF documents open. It's a mess to keep track of them on the dock.

-- Harry Gindi

share|improve this question
8  
What do you dislike so much about the Dock? I don't really have a problem with it. Knowing what issues you have would help create better solutions. – jmlumpkin Dec 10 '10 at 20:31
3  
I think the question would be better received if it didn't editorialize so much. – Philip Regan Dec 11 '10 at 0:37
3  
Thanks for toning down the harshness of the question. You'll get a better response as a result, and that benefits everyone here. I do care about the context of the question because I want to see this site succeed; having questions that contain unnecessary swear words and full paragraphs of near-argumentative, opinions doesn't help the community. Similarly asked questions get closed on other SE sites, and I don't see why this one should be any different. I have seen too many other good forums devolve into negative rant-fests over the years and I want to avoid that here. Every little bit helps. – Philip Regan Dec 12 '10 at 18:01
3  
@Harry: That may be true in your social circles, but it may not be in others. We have to be careful in making such assumptions. – Philip Regan Dec 12 '10 at 20:16
2  
@Cawas: it's not so much the question but the way it was originally asked (before edits). I think voters are avoiding giving the OP any reputation. However, I have converted this to community wiki so that is no longer a problem. – Robert S Ciaccio Dec 28 '10 at 23:28
show 12 more comments

2 Answers

up vote 12 down vote accepted

HyperDock gives you window previews for each running app in the dock, which helps tremendously.

alt text

share|improve this answer
1  
So does the Dock if you click and hold on the icon of a running app. – Greg Dec 11 '10 at 10:00
2  
Yeah, but not like this. This is instantaneous and it doesn't take over your screen like the Expose view you get when holding a click on the app. HyperDock shows you the windows from all spaces, unlike Expose. Plus there are a whole slew of other useful things I haven't mentioned. – Matthew Frederick Dec 11 '10 at 18:02
1  
This app is pretty slick, thanks for posting it – Kyle Cronin♦ Dec 11 '10 at 20:21
up vote 3 down vote

A quasi-replacement worth considering is Quicksilver (download: http://www.blacktree.com/ and guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvFUhTqKK4), used by a large number of devout users.

Though, that it depends on what you're looking to replace: access to apps, documents, tasks etc? It should work great. If you want something that looks vaguely like a dock/taskbar/GNOME panel, it won't replace that.

share|improve this answer
1  
LaunchBar... Alfred... Google QuickSearch Box... Even Spotlight! – Jason Salaz♦ Dec 10 '10 at 22:02
Quite right! I've actually had Spotlight replace QS for months… – msanford Dec 10 '10 at 22:37
2  
I use Spotlight instead of QS too. Works fine. – Greg Dec 11 '10 at 10:01

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.