The Dock Conundrum
This is a problem that many Mac users have debated over for years. It’s not exactly a problem more as a personal preference, but where you do keep your dock?
Like most, I started with my dock on the bottom. In fact nearly the entire time I used Tiger I left the dock untouched, just sitting at the bottom of my screen. It didn’t exactly bother me until I really thought about the dock and its relation to UI and productivity.
With the update of Leopard though, I moved my dock to the left of my screen and it’s amazing how such a simple move can make such a difference, especially for those with limited screen real estate. The decision to give the dock a “stylish” reflective look actually steals precious vertical space that could be used for other purposes.
Think about it. How often do you need to use horizontal space? When it comes to design and page layout, you don’t usually see horizontal space being abused. Actually, take a look around you. Books, magazines, and paper all have the same concept; they read down in a narrow column. It’s only natural that applications reflect their real-life counter parts.
The trend of technology generally tends to support this also. As widescreen becomes more and more popular, vertical space becomes limited while horizontal expands.
So, give a try. Most tend to hate it at first, but the benefits are worth it.
#1
Adam FuhrerI have had my Dock on the left side of my screen for months know.
I would totally have to agree with you…
#2
Claudio → textworker.ch
I have been using the Dock on the left side of my Macbook’s Screen as well for a long time. Already with my iMac I had it on the left side. Just because of the arguments, which were posted above.
#3
Justin → www.justinthegreat.wordpress.com
I also keep it on the left mainly because it is more functional. When opening a new app I usually have to go to the menu bar to do something and the closest spot between the menu bar and dock is the left hand side.
Does this make since to anyone else?
#4
Dan Philibin → danphilibin.com
i keep my dock hidden on the left and hardly ever use it. Instead, I use Quicksilver to launch apps, websites, files, etc. The only time I use the dock is to see if I have any e-mail or drag a file onto the Photoshop icon.
#5
Tom Burke → fliptron.com
I, like Dan above, keep my dock hidden and primarily use Quicksilver for application launching. I think if one takes this approach, it doesn’t really matter where the dock is kept.
#6
AlexDock on the right side of my screen, as I use external monitor and couldn’t find how to put it on the left (as it always disappears to the left side of main monitor).
#7
Philipp → www.phfischer.de
I just read your article and will give it a try and now set my dock to the left side of my screen on my Macbook Pro.
#8
Craig → www.craigmacproductions.com
I keep my dock hidden and in the bottom of the screen. I use a mixture of Quicksilver and Overflow to house my dock items. When I get my mackbook Pro I will probably do away with overflow in favor of stacks, but I haven’t tried stacks yet so we’ll see.
The only items I have permanently in my dock are Finder, Dashboard, Overflow, Firefox and the trash.
I never saw the point of having the dock always visible. It takes up screen real estate whether it’s on the side of the screen or at the bottom.
It also depends on what you use your Mac for. Video/Audio editors and people who use timelines often (garageband, protool, final cut, etc.) aren’t going to give away valuable horizontal screen real estate by putting the dock on the side of the screen.
Like anything with computer customization it comes down to personal preference. No one way is better than the other.
#9
RyanI use my dock on the bottom when I’m using my external display, but I hide it when it’s just my MBP screen. It’s annoying to have the dock in the way w/ smaller screen resolutions.
#10
Gordon R. Vaughan → twitter.com/aeroG
Interesting question. It’s mainly a matter of personal preference, but I keep the dock on the right. Reasoning:
- There’s very little horizontal scrolling with large screens nowadays, but still vertical scrolling. Leaving more room vertically (dock not on bottom) reduces this.
- Being right-handed, it’s easier for me to quickly move the mouse to the right than to the left. Consequently, I can easily move to a dock item on the right.
- It’s easier to keep windows neatly arranged if the left side of the screen is empty (since resize box is on right, we read left to right, etc.).
Of course, the dock icons are smaller when placed on the side, which is a drawback when you have a lot of stuff in there.
#11
Lasha → onefusedlife.com
I’m running on a 24″ iMac and I keep my dock hidden. Yes, I generally do have enough screen real estate for most thing, but I started having my dock hidden on the bottom when I need the space for Photoshop, and I haven’t gone back since. I like have my desktop space all to myself. :)
#12
Noel Hurtley → noelhurtley.com
Placing the dock on the left side of the screen was one of the first things I did after I purchased my MacBook Pro. It just makes more sense on 16:10 ratio displays.
#13
Jorge Quinteros → noelhurtley.com
After reading this entry, I’ve now opted to keep my dock on the left portion of the screen although I have to admit that I rarely utilize it to begin with. I mostly rely on Sapiens for application launching.
#14
Andreas → macintalk.com
I much prefer to have the Dock at the bottom of the screen. I keep it hidden at all times to have more usable screen real estate, and keeping it at the bottom allows for bigger icon size than keeping it at the side (thus making it easier to hit a certain icon when I bring it up). I am also a heavy user of Quicksilver as well, it’s very convenient to have everything a keystroke away.
#15
Craig → macintalk.com
ooohhh i like the look of that Sapiens application. How is it working out for you Jorge?
#16
Joe JacobsIt’s cool to see I’m not the only one who uses the Dock on the left hand side…. I don’t feel so “different” now.
As for Quicksilver, I stopped using that when I became to reliant on it. I would sit down at other Macs and try to use my “keys.” Plus, the fact that there are no developers working on it now I can’t justify the wasted cycles, seeing how much of a resource hog QS could be.
I would hide the dock, but I really can’t stand having it just pop up on me. Just a bit annoying.
#17
Coard → www.flickr.com/photos/coardloveslyndsey
Wow. Thanks for getting me hooked on using the dock on the side. Great points on the extra space, but I also found that the wasted space at the bottom on either side of the dock was way too much for use. I’m loving the side-dock :D
#18
Nina → kissedbyrain.com
I think I am one of the only people who prefers my dock below me, taking up the vertical screen space. The reason is because I’m usually multitasking: I have a few Firefox windows open, IMs and a buddy list, and when I’m in class, a word/Pages document over. I like to be able to see as much of it as possible and switch over to them pretty quickly. I’m not really bothered by how much vertical space I have on my MacBook; maybe it’s because I use dual monitors on my desktop so I’m used to being able to see everything I’m doing at once.
#19
Kim → kim.tumblr.com
Back in Tiger, I used to have the Dock on the right. In Leopard though, it’s back on the bottom. I find the black background and thick white border very distracting.
And no, I don’t like hiding my dock.
#20
Sam WhitehallHmm… thanks for the suggestion. I’m gonna try with my dock on the right-hand side of the screen to see if productivity does increase at all. I’ll be sure to report back!
#21
Steve Embleton → steveembleton.com
I started with my dock at the bottom, it definitely looks better but in practice, especially on a widescreen macbook where screen real-estate is so small, the dock on the side is a better idea.
#22
Matt → www.thisguysvoice.com
I am going to try moving the dock around. I already like the 2-d version of the dock (as I am using Leopard) and I like your reasoning about the use of vertical and horizontal space. Very interesting stuff! I would like to let my readers know about this as well. Thanks!