Uncle Ag's OS X Customization Thread

[Agathon]

Here's a fun trick.

Ever wished that OS X could have that cool feature of 9's where you could have tabs at the foot of the screen. Well you can do something similar. I've been using this all day and it is quite nifty. It's an alternative to minimizing stuff that's always on in the Dock.

First make your Mail window small. Then drag it to the foot of the screen. It won't let you drag it off.

The result looks like this:

[Agathon]

Now use the green button to maximize the window (this is my junk folder - no sarcasm please) You can flip between the states with the green button.

Maximized it looks like this.

[Agathon]

You can do this with any app you like.

[Drake Tungsten]

Cool.

[FlameFlash]

Interesting trick... though I like where my dock is...

Why is it so many people have such long docks, anyway? I don't get it.

[CivPatriot]

tried it and i liked it, thought my dock is in the default posistion, so it kinda conflicts(may have to move my dock).

flameflash, i've been wondering the same thing my self about these huge docks that people seem to have. i just put the apps i use all the time on my dock, have my app folder on it and just right click on the app folder and find what i need(either that or the short cut) so i see little need for these huge docks(but i understand that somepeople use more programs than i do, one reason why expose is not as big of a thing to me as it is to some people), but huge docks baffle me anyway.

[Agathon]

Works better for some apps than others.

[Agathon]

If the Dock is too big and you don't want to stick your apps folder in the Dock (if it's like mine, the apps lists runs the length of the screen and then some), then use the favourites folder (user/Library). You can stick anything in this merely by selecting its icon and clicking command-T.

Gives you a much shorter and more useful list when placed in the Dock.

[Agathon]

Does anyone here use Candybar?

I can't live without it.

[CivPatriot]

I thankfully have a short list of applications(20-30 plus subdirectories), so for me its never been a problem to have my apps folder on the dock, but i think i may give the favorites folder suggestion to my father. I love the flexibility of the dock, hands down my favorite feature of OSX(next to stability).

BTW candybar is a great app, i've used the shareware version of it before and its great way to change your icons easiley(since osx is some what of a chore to do sometimes).

[Agathon]

Originally posted by CivPatriot
I thankfully have a short list of applications(20-30 plus subdirectories), so for me its never been a problem to have my apps folder on the dock, but i think i may give the favorites folder suggestion to my father. I love the flexibility of the dock, hands down my favorite feature of OSX(next to stability).

I really like the control features of the Dock. I almost never have my Mail Window open on the Desktop and I always use the "Compose Message" option from the Dock icon to send mail.

I wish more apps were Dock aware.

BTW candybar is a great app, i've used the shareware version of it before and its great way to change your icons easiley(since osx is some what of a chore to do sometimes).

I love the icontainers feature. I have a couple of different ones and it makes it easy to swap them all at once.

[FlameFlash]

Originally posted by CivPatriot
flameflash, i've been wondering the same thing my self about these huge docks that people seem to have. i just put the apps i use all the time on my dock, have my app folder on it and just right click on the app folder and find what i need(either that or the short cut) so i see little need for these huge docks(but i understand that somepeople use more programs than i do, one reason why expose is not as big of a thing to me as it is to some people), but huge docks baffle me anyway.

I've attached a screenshot of my current dock... As you can see, I have my active apps running on the left (can that even be changed?), and folders running on the right. I was a big Apple Menu Item nut back in Classic and do the same basic thing here.

Rather than just use favorites, the first folder is Office X, next has all of my Internet apps, next have utilities or just useful apps I find I use often (Photoshop, iTunes, iPhoto, and the like), and then last is my games folder, because of course I want quick access to all of them.

Does anyone here use Candybar?

I can't live without it.

What is CandyBar?

I thankfully have a short list of applications(20-30 plus subdirectories), so for me its never been a problem to have my apps folder on the dock, but i think i may give the favorites folder suggestion to my father. I love the flexibility of the dock, hands down my favorite feature of OSX(next to stability).

Ugh, between Classic and my X-Native apps I have way too many, instead I'll just drop something into my "usefuls" folder if I find I use it more often. For some reason, I'm just favorites-phobic.

BTW candybar is a great app, i've used the shareware version of it before and its great way to change your icons easiley(since osx is some what of a chore to do sometimes).

eh? So it's an icon editor?

I really like the control features of the Dock. I almost never have my Mail Window open on the Desktop and I always use the "Compose Message" option from the Dock icon to send mail.

I wish more apps were Dock aware.

/me shudders at Mail.

I do have to agree though, more apps being Dock aware would be great. Right now I've only seen the true Apple apps doing anything really well with the Dock.

I love the icontainers feature. I have a couple of different ones and it makes it easy to swap them all at once.

So it's not just an icon editor?

[FlameFlash]

/me grumbles something incoherent about pdfs not showing up like agathon's screenshots and being sorry for it.

[Panag]

Originally posted by Agathon
Does anyone here use Candybar?

I can't live without it.

hi ,

same , most people do it

have a nice day

[Agathon]

Candybar, by Panic, is a shareware program that enables you to easily change all the system and device icons using drag and drop.

Of course you can do this manually for each icon, but that takes time and using the Terminal to hack files. Candybar does it with one click.

It looks like this: