Announcement: Xwindows Dock 2.0.0.0

[grandtheftbeatbox]

I have a request. Could it be possible to maake an option to use the default system icons in the dock instead of having the themes icons forced onto you.

Edited November 7, 2009 by GrandTheftBeatbox

[BOBAH13]

Now when you drop some files/systems (my comp, control panel and etc..)/folders/... you will see system's icons or app's icons, then you can simply select and drop some icons (gif, jpg, bmp, ico, png, may something else, it depends on gdiplus, ico - I handle it by myself) onto any items in the dock, and you will that that item changed its icon to drop's one of course in future dock will have interface to customize every item of the dock.

About skins. Now it's ini files (skin.ini). You won't be able to customize skin in the dock (size of icon's reflection, space between icons and etc...), it make sense, I think, cause:

1. Skin's creator will know exactly how his skin will be looked like on another dock.

2. Somebody (may be it's me) will create skin customizer. Another app to customize dock's skins. Dock will give neccessry paths to let skin customizer to find the dock's skins.

Edit:

What do you think guys, if I create dialogs (edit items, preferences...) in mac's design - chrome ? Of put them in windows' one ? Now I just think about dialogs, now working on other stuff.

[sunnylee]

wiating for you !~~~

[Nikola]

@Bobah I'm sorry because of my pesimic atitude but as i started to use W7 i lost any need of dock apps even XWD.You use W7 so i guess you notice SB is now app luncher and windows manager better than any dock made for windows.So...is XWD 2 going to be dock who can replace Superbar and his advantages?

[BOBAH13]

Really, I cannot see new features in the 7's taskbar. Now, dock will be like XWD 5.6. like others, not reapace taskbar, may in future, if I successfuly intergate the dock into the shell, that user can manage windows/apps and etc. in the dock, than everybody can hide taskbar if you want. I do not see things that make me to replace taskbar as default.

Guys, now icon's reflection - done

Working on indicators & separators, still icons

and, may be create tray icon to activate the dock, it's behind windows, or do you have other ideas ?

Edit:

Now dock automatically detects if you added a Recycle Bin, and working with it, you can see if it's empty/full, and of course by right click you can simple emty the Recycle Bin. Also, you cannot setup icons on it, like for other items, just drop icon onto it, but (now no user-interfaces (dialogs)) you can setup icons for empty/full Recycle Bin

Anyway, if somebody has good ideas for the dock, I'm ready to listen to them.

Edit:

Now when you drag (for example icon) onto the dock's item and drop it, you will see a menu, where following items can have a place:

1. Setup Icon (for every item, draging only icons)

2. Run in (for applications items - which have extensions equal ".exe", draggin any files)

3. Copy/Move to (for directories items, draggin any files)

4. Move to Recycle Bin (for Recycle Bin items, draggin any files)

5. Cancel - do nothing with dropped file.

[firecracker6]

..allow hotkey(s) so that users can assign a mouse gesture to activate the dock maybe? Using something like strokeit

However, it's hard to beat the current method of simply moving your mouse to the screen-edge and bump/activating the dock to foreground. (since your mouse is going there anyways to click on a dock item.)

It's just important to restore focus to window after dock looses focus

[Byakkun]

@Bobah I'm sorry because of my pesimic atitude but as i started to use W7 i lost any need of dock apps even XWD.You use W7 so i guess you notice SB is now app luncher and windows manager better than any dock made for windows.So...is XWD 2 going to be dock who can replace Superbar and his advantages?

Well it is a matter of taste firstly. Secondly, I agree that the new taskbar is better, but I still think that there is room for improvement. If you are happy with the W7 taskbar I'm glad for you. For those who thing differently, like myself, I'm glad that bobah is willing to make this dock. Again. And maybe, just maybe, it will be not as good as the leopard/snow leopard dock or as good as the win7 taskbar but as good as those combined or even better. To paraphrase a certain company ad: think progressive.

[baconissweet]

Freaking awesome!!!!!!!!!!

[magnus87]

Hey Bobbah, It will be compatible with Windows7 Jump List??

Edited November 8, 2009 by magnus87

[AndrewYY]

Ini files for the skin sounds much nicer than the old xwd files

[Nikola]

Well it is a matter of taste firstly. Secondly, I agree that the new taskbar is better, but I still think that there is room for improvement. If you are happy with the W7 taskbar I'm glad for you. For those who thing differently, like myself, I'm glad that bobah is willing to make this dock. Again. And maybe, just maybe, it will be not as good as the leopard/snow leopard dock or as good as the win7 taskbar but as good as those combined or even better. To paraphrase a certain company ad: think progressive.

Agree with you,SB do the job but it's boring no stack suport,custom folder pinning etc...,but now i'm feeling lot more happier when heard Bobah will try to intergrate dock into shell : )))

[koalacarlo79]

I'm waiting with trepidation...

[Lotelin]

i started to use W7 i lost any need of dock apps even XWD...

...who can replace Superbar and his advantages?

Why replace? SuperBar & Dock working well together and perfectly complement each other.

[BurntAsafoetida]

XWindowsDock v5.6 has some cpu issues in my 7x64 installed machine. Because of that I postponed to use XWD for a while. But; in BOBAH we trust . I'm in belief that he will make us happy.

[scissorhands7]

Why replace? SuperBar & Dock working well together and perfectly complement each other.

Pretty much because windows 7 superbar is a dock, and a taskbar combined, however there are limitations, which hopefully boobah can overcome and improve upon.

IMO the best part of the dock is the gallery feature, personally I'd be a big fan if Boobah could make a standalone gallery stack similar to Chrisn'soft's standalone stack and improve the memory usage features/scrolling/etc. Personally I think windows 7 will obsolete alot of dock features. We have standalone stack, lets take a crack at having a standalone gallery stack. That's partially why i wish matonga would get back on so Boobah could integrate the gallery to the stacks.lib so chris could put it in his standalone stack.

but I'm just ranting.

[Lotelin]

windows 7 superbar is a dock, and a taskbar combined

Yes, but if you have a lot of quick launch icons and many opened windows, is there too little place for this, don't you agree?

I think dock is perfect tool for quick launch, superbar or taskbar is good one for selecting windows and for information icons.

[reenan]

hey bobah, why not make a version x64 compatible? *-*

[scissorhands7]

Yes, but if you have a lot of quick launch icons and many opened windows, is there too little place for this, don't you agree?

I think dock is perfect tool for quick launch, superbar or taskbar is good one for selecting windows and for information icons.

No I don't really agree because I user standalonestack for the quick launch icons thus i don't have too many, and you can only have so many open windows at one time.

[BOBAH13]

hey bobah, why not make a version x64 compatible? *-*

Why do you want this ? now I use x64 win7, but use a lot of 32x apps, and feel well and the another thing, I do not know every aspect of creating x64 apps in windows. That's why I'd like to create what I know.

Now dock has realistic 3d mode, like in Mac, you do not need to create 3d panel in the skin, just create 2 parts:

1. bottom edge of the panel (thin line)

2. background - 2d image, like for 2d dock, just without any borders.

One thing that's not good in this new feature, I had to use OpenGL, and now when dock has to repaint 3d panel, it takes a lot of time, and you can notice buggy panel's resizing. I will think about it, but really not sure that it can be fixed.

[reenan]

Why do you want this ? now I use x64 win7, but use a lot of 32x apps, and feel well and the another thing, I do not know every aspect of creating x64 apps in windows. That's why I'd like to create what I know.

Now dock has realistic 3d mode, like in Mac, you do not need to create 3d panel in the skin, just create 2 parts:

1. bottom edge of the panel (thin line)

2. background - 2d image, like for 2d dock, just without any borders.

One thing that's not good in this new feature, I had to use OpenGL, and now when dock has to repaint 3d panel, it takes a lot of time, and you can notice buggy panel's resizing. I will think about it, but really not sure that it can be fixed.

well, I use W7 X64 too, and I would like to have all my apps on x64 x) just for that.

but, use OpenGL will not make the dock slow? I say that because I use a damn onboard GPU, it will not suck with my system?

[baconissweet]

Why do you want this ? now I use x64 win7, but use a lot of 32x apps, and feel well and the another thing, I do not know every aspect of creating x64 apps in windows. That's why I'd like to create what I know.

Now dock has realistic 3d mode, like in Mac, you do not need to create 3d panel in the skin, just create 2 parts:

1. bottom edge of the panel (thin line)

2. background - 2d image, like for 2d dock, just without any borders.

One thing that's not good in this new feature, I had to use OpenGL, and now when dock has to repaint 3d panel, it takes a lot of time, and you can notice buggy panel's resizing. I will think about it, but really not sure that it can be fixed.

So how much slower is this dock then?

[AndrewYY]

mm perhaps this 3d idea isn't so great, since I don't really see much benefit from it, and slowdown is a big issue. Theme makers have always been able to fake perspective for docks, so I think it's better to get it working fast and without glitches, than to get the perspective to look perfect.

Of course, if it's possible to have both, that'd be super

Edited November 11, 2009 by AndrewYY

[firecracker6]

Why do you want this ? now I use x64 win7, but use a lot of 32x apps, and feel well and the another thing, I do not know every aspect of creating x64 apps in windows. That's why I'd like to create what I know.

I think you mean XWD runs on x64 Win7 but is not a 64bit app. Is this correct?

If it runs on x64, I think we're good to go

[BOBAH13]

I think you mean XWD runs on x64 Win7 but is not a 64bit app. Is this correct?

If it runs on x64, I think we're good to go

Of course, all x32 apps work in x64 well.

[aka120]

Of course, all x32 apps work in x64 well.

But, with XWD 5.6 running on x64 Win 7, no x64bit app's window will minimize to the dock , only a x32 bit apps window will minimize to the dock. If there is no x64 bit version of XWD, will this issue be addressed? Actually, I got ahead of myself there, my understanding is you are making this theme as mac like as possible, so I assumed there will be the minimize windows to dock functionality in XWD II.

Also, if there is minimize windows to dock implemented into XWD, will the minimized window in the dock keep the shape of its actual size, instead of a generic size like in v5.6?

i.e.

XWD running on Windows 7

compared to

Mac Dock on Leopard

*Also, in leopard, the windows always minimize before the recycle bin, could this functionality be implemented into XWD II if in fact the minimize windows to dock feature is included?

Bobah, man you are a saint to develop a new XWD, I thank you very much and I'm so excited!

Edited November 11, 2009 by aka120