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either LaunchPad is flawed or...

hi guys


either LaunchPad is flawed ( unlikely.. ) or i don't know how to use it/set it up correctly !


after installing Lion, i immediately checked out LaunchPad.


as a DragThing user i thought this would be great & started making folders : video apps w/ video apps, photography apps w/ photography & so on


i like to have my dock on the side of my iMac's screen, the logic being this way i have plenty ''screen real estate'' to view my apps, dialog boxes, photos, etc....in a real big size & still keep easy access to the Dock/apps + the hidding Dock function doesn't cut it for me

i thought LaunchPad would allow me to have all my app folders easily accessible with only a dozen or so folders/icons in my Dock instead of 30 or 40 - which, if you've tried it, makes for a VERY cluttered/tiny iconed Dock, something i really don't like


my desktop :


<a href="http://www.imageno.com/w3wlq02ca2ompic.html" target="_blank">

so if LaunchPad doesn't allow me to do this, either i'm doing something wrong or then ......?


any suggestions ?


many thanks

2009 27'' iMac i7, 16GB Ram -OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7), 2 X 1TB + 2 X 2TB W.Digital USB

Posted on Aug 6, 2011 8:12 AM

Reply
10 replies

Aug 6, 2011 8:41 AM in response to nuno1959

LaunchPad is separate from the Dock. I use the Dock for things that I use almost constantly, like Mail, Safari, Downloads folder, etc. LaunchPad is for other applications. I have those that I use frequently organized so that I can easily find them. All the other junk is hidden in various folders. If I need to run those applications, I can go find them. But I don't need to hunt through them each time I want to run Word, for example.


LaunchPad will do what you want, but it won't be directly from the Dock. You will run LaunchPad from the Dock and then you can find your folders.

Aug 6, 2011 10:10 AM in response to etresoft

i realize that & that's basically what i do but then DragThing is vastly superior because it allows me to set up suplementary ''mini-docks'' ( anywhere in the desktop.. ) & access the apps in them in a single click : fast, streamlined & no faffing about .

then when i'm done they hide themselves out of the way

on the other hand launching LanchPad, searching for the right folder, clicking it open & then clicking on the app,

JEEZ ! too much click this & click that, bit of a waste of time although it makes for kind of nice eye candy, if you're into that sort of thing


User uploaded file


by the way i just noticed the function to insert a picture here - that is GREAT !! well done to whoever did that

Aug 6, 2011 11:57 AM in response to nuno1959

Many people seem to be falling into the trap of thinking that since Lion include LaunchPad, Versions, and Resume, they must use them. They don't like those new features and then get angry.


You don't have to use anything in Lion that you don't want. If some 3rd party provides a tool that does exactly what you want, then by all means use that instead of LaunchPad.

Aug 6, 2011 3:48 PM in response to etresoft

oh absolutely etresoft !


i have never felt ''i HAVE to'' anything just because it's included in a package but i'm far from angry, i'm just surprised because i couldn't believe how much i missed the point of it !

you see, until now Apple HAS spoiled me ( & others for sure.. ) by releasing REALLY slick, streamlined AND VERY useful apps & apparently this one is only a visual ''iPaditizing'' of computers or maybe for people who like tapping with their fingers a lot on a trackpad or so...

you see, in my iPhone this system works VERY nicely ( helps me NOT to have page after page after page of apps & more apps, you know ?.. ) but in a computer, well....as i said, DragThing beats it without even trying - & by that i mean that i ''get there'' with MUCH fewer clicks.

i can't answer for others but ultimately THAT'S what makes my computing more productive...


but you see, it's always useful to post here & discussing things, if nothing else i learned from this thread how to insert an image, something i had tried in the past & failed miserablly...LOL...

Aug 6, 2011 6:14 PM in response to nuno1959

I wasn't referring to you. I was talking about the a strange dynamic that goes on with Apple. Every time they come out with a new product, it sells like nothing else ever has. And yet each one is preceded by a chorus of media nay-sayers and followed up by angry people posting here. iPad, iPhone4, Lion - the frenzy builds with each one. It is just fascinating to watch.


One of those new products was an upgrade to Apple Discussions that gave us the ability to post pictures. That alone was worth the upgrade. Yet people complained about that too.

Aug 7, 2011 1:37 AM in response to etresoft

i hear you !


i guess it was easier for them to love Apple when Apple was the small ''underdog'' company ''fighting'' Goliath ( whoever Goliath is !?.. ) but now that Apple has become a major player, it's as if suddenly it emboddies EVERYTHING these people have ever hated or something


as you say - it IS fascinating, they hate it yet people qeueu up to be among the first to buy ''it'' !.....LOL....


at the same time there is a sort of ''natural, human logic'' behind it :

when people don't care about something or somebody , whatever they do/it does leaves them indifferent


our species is most interesting.....NOT very logical but certainly interesting


as far as Lion is concerned overall i'm VERY pleased with it - it feels nimble & has a few features i AM quite happy to use

if anything, i only regret a certain lack of choices in setting up the UI in a more personal manner ( the infamous grey icons on sidebars for example.. ) since i believe allowing for stuff like this wouldn't really make it resource hungry by THAT much, but i'm confident they WILL change that

after all, i remember a version of iTunes that only offered a white background & so many disliked it SO much that in the next upgrade the dark backdground was back


this to me only shows Apple DOES listen to it's customer/user base hence no need to get ''angry'' or ''spiteful' about things :


it's enough to actively participate in the process by sending feedback, presenting each one's why & why nots in a clear & detailed way, dare i say being mature about it ? & stop acting like spoiled tennagers....LOL...


cheers

either LaunchPad is flawed or...

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