Dock (software)

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Window Maker Dock, similar to that of NeXTSTEP

The dock is part of many graphical user interfaces . It has established itself as the central access point to frequently used application programs on desktop computers . For a long time, docks were only available on many Unix operating systems, including the Common Desktop Environment and NeXTStep , while other operating systems such as Windows or classic Mac OS did not use it. Only in Mac OS X , which took over many elements from NeXTStep, did the dock move there as well. Since Windows 7 , its taskbar also offers the possibility of docking programs . For many operating systems there are alternative docks for post-installation.

Unix and Unix-like

NeXTStep / Window Maker

Under NeXTStep and its GNUstep- based free replica Window Maker, the dock serves as a simple solution to start frequently used programs quickly. To do this, icons are placed in the dock, which then start the associated application. The dock is always on the right edge of the screen. Icons for the workspace manager and the recycle bin are integral parts of the dock.

Like a task bar , the dock also offers the option of determining whether the respective application is currently running or not. The maximum number of icons in the dock depends on the screen resolution, since the icons in the dock always have a fixed size.

macOS

With Mac OS X (since 2016 “macOS”) from Apple , the dock from NeXTStep has also been taken over, but has some innovations. In contrast to NeXTStep, it not only serves as a way to start programs, but also functions as a taskbar , so it also contains icons for all open applications. The size of the dock is also no longer limited, but changes depending on the number of symbols it contains, so that the dock always fits on the screen. In order to still be able to recognize them for many icons in the dock, they are enlarged like a magnifying glass when the mouse pointer is over them, unless this has been deactivated by the user . As with NeXTStep, icons for Finder and Trash are fixed components. Program icons are always on one side, documents on the other. In contrast to NeXTstep, the dock can be positioned on the right, left or bottom of the screen. At the top of the screen is the typical Mac menu bar .

In macOS, a point (in earlier versions a triangle) on the symbol shows that the program is already running. In addition, some programs show messages in their icon; Mail, for example, shows the number of unread emails.

X11 (Linux, BSDs, Solaris and many others)

Avant Window Navigator on Ubuntu

There are also docks for numerous desktop environments on Unixoid systems . Sun offers such. B. Ubuntu Linux preconfigured a dock. Many Linux distributions use the docks included in Gnome with Dash-to-Dock or KDE with icon window bar. However, there are numerous alternatives, some with better integration with other window managers .

Windows

Under Windows from Microsoft there is no such directly comparable bar up to Vista , but the combination of the quick start area and the window area of ​​the task bar has been similar to a dock since Windows 95c .

With the help of additional software, however, all dock functions such as program starter and window management can be retrofitted. The freeware ObjectDock , which also provides small applications, so-called docklets (similar to a widget ), is widespread . The fee-based version ObjectDock Plus also offers register docks (docks with tabs) and the option of placing multiple docks on the desktop. There are also other free docks, such as yz Dock , RKLauncher and XWindows Dock . Programs like AquaDock and RocketDock also show the graphic effects of Mac OS X. Another commercial program is the Nexus Dock .

In Windows 7 , the taskbar has been the function Pin to Taskbar expanded the program launcher similar to the Dock allows. The icon (or, depending on the setting, the name of the application) shows whether it has already started and whether one or more windows are open. In addition to the permanently attached (or docked) applications, other started applications are displayed.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ObjectDock
  2. ObjectDock Plus
  3. RKLauncher ( Memento from May 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  4. XWindow Dock ( Memento of the original from January 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / xwdock.aqua-soft.org
  5. Rocketdock
  6. Nexus Dock