If you want to have back the good old folders on the doc instead of the horrible stacks crap that Apple has inflicted upon us just create an alias of the folder and drop it on the dock. It will look and behave like a usual folder.
Yeah, I think Apple needs to make an option for how each folder in said area work. For example at work I keep a folder in my dock that sorta works like the Apple menu. But i have ad size templates separated in 4 different folders. To navigate these folders I will have to open folders. Something I don't want to do. I just want to click, navigate to the template, and launch in in InDesign. I can't do this with either option in stacks.
While I like it's functionality in some instances, I want the ability to turn that function off in others.
You can use the Dock from 10.4 which gives you navigable contextual menus back! There are a few caveats but in my opinion it's well worth the loss.
1) You lose Spaces. Happily there are a number of free 3rd party apps which still work to a certain extent although you can't move windows between different virtual desktops after the window is open but I can live with that.
2) The Dock doesn't hide automatically when you go into Time Machine. Happily, command-option-D takes care of that (and the desktop icons are still dock-aware).
3) Dashboard loses the speed increase brought about by the Leopard Dock, but you only notice that on first entry to Dashboard.
4) iCal's icon goes back to being static. Meh, easy come easy go.
Obviously you need access to a copy of 10.4's Dock, but I'm not at liberty to give you that. You also need to use the Terminal. Anyway, here's how you do it.
First, copy the old Dock into the same folder as the new Dock.
Save the file somewhere. Anywhere. It doesn't matter where you save it as long as you've got easy access to it and that it's a plain text file. Give it a meaningful name and make sure the extension is .command not .txt or anything else. My file is called "toggleDocks.command". Now go back to the terminal and type "chmod u+x " (without quotes), drag your file into the terminal window and hit return.
You now have a double-clickable icon on your computer which allows you to toggle easily between using the Dock from 10.4 and 10.5.
I agree both ways of using the dock is desirable. Stacks have merit but need to be polished and expanded further. I believe there was a time during development when Stacks were navigable. You could click a folder in a stack and the stack view would expand or contract to reflect the contents of that folder. You could keep drilling down or, navigate back up to the top of the stack. I saw this posted in videos on some Italian Mac site. I have tried to Google this but havn't been able to find it again.
I was really looking forward to this feature of stacks and it reminds me of the Pop Up folders in OS9. (again something that got thrown out with the bath water) You could navigate these as well but stacks have the potential to be superior visually. It's like this was the intention for stacks then it just got dropped or was not working properly. I hope that Apple realise that it is not good to deploy half baked iterations of a feature.
Also dropped was the ability to select some files and make these into a stack. Didn't Steve Jobs do just this at WWDC07?. And, you may have been able to add and subtract items from stacks as well.
To solve this Items dragged to the Dock could be displayed in the old way with the old hierarchical menus. Stacks could be made by selecting items in the Finder, right clicking, and selecting Stack. Better still it could be a submenu with Stack in Dock or Stack in place. Or, when items are moved to the Dock a panel pops up asking whether you want to stack or not.
The other obvious thing they threw away was the search view in the finder for searches and Smart folders. It was a no brainer that this view showed file types sorted into different easily viewable categories. For images there was a play button in the blue divider. Now searches returns all files in a jumble so if you have any images in a project you have to find and the cmd click each image file and then use Quicklook. This is a step backwards as an intuitive method for finding and viewing files.. Very disappointing.
I understand that Apple has a philosophy of making the interface intuitive and simple for novice users to use but the face the danger of alienating more experienced users who expect to be able to use the interface in a much more advanced manner.
Oh. And I meant to add in the icon view for searching there is a slider to increase/decrease the icons. Well if that's such a great idea it should be in the regular Finder windows for icon view as well. It's in search view so we can see what the file is? I though we has Quicklook for that.
Honestly Leopard is a great update over Tiger but some of the things in it are plain retarded.
I installed Leopard on Monday evening. No problems with the install; the new dock doesn't offend my aesthetic sensibilities; I like 10.5 a lot. Apart from Stacks.
Now I'm sure this new feature will fit into many people's lives just fine, but it's proving a real pain in the arse for me. See, I download a lot of (legal) live music, often in multiple-folder downloads, sometimes RAR files, and occasionally loose MP3 files. I have an established workflow in place to arrange these on my desktop, convert the RAR files, etc., before dragging the MP3s into iTunes. To be frank, I don't need Daddy Jobs telling me how to organise my shit. I already lost one download last night when I accidentally emptied the Downloads folder, thinking the file was safe 'n' sound on my desktop.
Bitching aside, my question is this: is there any way to turn Stacks off and go back to downloading files straight onto the desktop where they belong?
The problem is I don't want to show the files in the Finder; I noticed that option, and it doesn't work for me. I want to have the files on my desktop. Capisch?
Here's a secret, when you click the icon choose "Show in finder"
Boom, done, don't see what the problem is.
Yeah, that doesn't really address the concern, though.
With the current dock I can put a folder in, right click or click and hold, and get a nested hierarchical view. One click, and all I have to do is move the cursor to the file I'm looking for, no matter how many levels down. Plus, as others have noted, I can make the folder icon anything I want, so that I might be able to find it again.
Your way, I click on the icon, click on "Show in finder", then commence drilling down in the finder via multiple clicks. As a bonus, the folder icon will change depending what's on top, which, I mean, WTF?
Stacks behavior replacing the current behavior is insane, IMO. All you have to do is look at what a Stack grid view looks like vs. a sorted text column to make you wonder if the Apple UI people have taken to drinking on the job.
Small folders? An easy way to keep track of downloads for newbies? Great! Love it!
Use that to replace and eliminate the extremely useful Tiger behavior? Utterly, dumbfoundingly stupid.
Why? Why, Apple? Why must you always take something away, when you are dispensing your new hotness?
Comments
While I like it's functionality in some instances, I want the ability to turn that function off in others.
You can use the Dock from 10.4 which gives you navigable contextual menus back! There are a few caveats but in my opinion it's well worth the loss.
1) You lose Spaces. Happily there are a number of free 3rd party apps which still work to a certain extent although you can't move windows between different virtual desktops after the window is open but I can live with that.
2) The Dock doesn't hide automatically when you go into Time Machine. Happily, command-option-D takes care of that (and the desktop icons are still dock-aware).
3) Dashboard loses the speed increase brought about by the Leopard Dock, but you only notice that on first entry to Dashboard.
4) iCal's icon goes back to being static. Meh, easy come easy go.
Obviously you need access to a copy of 10.4's Dock, but I'm not at liberty to give you that. You also need to use the Terminal. Anyway, here's how you do it.
First, copy the old Dock into the same folder as the new Dock.
cd /System/Library/CoreServices/
sudo cp -Rp /PATH_TO_YOUR_TIGER_INSTALLATION/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app ./DockInactive.app
Now, in your favourite text editor, create a plain text file containing the following code
sudo mv /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app /System/Library/CoreServices/DockTmp.app
sudo mv /System/Library/CoreServices/DockInactive.app /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app
sudo mv /System/Library/CoreServices/DockTmp.app /System/Library/CoreServices/DockInactive.app
killall Dock
Save the file somewhere. Anywhere. It doesn't matter where you save it as long as you've got easy access to it and that it's a plain text file. Give it a meaningful name and make sure the extension is .command not .txt or anything else. My file is called "toggleDocks.command". Now go back to the terminal and type "chmod u+x " (without quotes), drag your file into the terminal window and hit return.
You now have a double-clickable icon on your computer which allows you to toggle easily between using the Dock from 10.4 and 10.5.
That's a better fix? I don't think you know what the word "better" means.
Well I suppose it depends on what problem you're trying to fix.
If you want to have back the good old folders on the doc instead of the horrible stacks crap
My method addresses both of those issues and gives us the contextual menus back as well, hence "better".
I was really looking forward to this feature of stacks and it reminds me of the Pop Up folders in OS9. (again something that got thrown out with the bath water) You could navigate these as well but stacks have the potential to be superior visually. It's like this was the intention for stacks then it just got dropped or was not working properly. I hope that Apple realise that it is not good to deploy half baked iterations of a feature.
Also dropped was the ability to select some files and make these into a stack. Didn't Steve Jobs do just this at WWDC07?. And, you may have been able to add and subtract items from stacks as well.
To solve this Items dragged to the Dock could be displayed in the old way with the old hierarchical menus. Stacks could be made by selecting items in the Finder, right clicking, and selecting Stack. Better still it could be a submenu with Stack in Dock or Stack in place. Or, when items are moved to the Dock a panel pops up asking whether you want to stack or not.
The other obvious thing they threw away was the search view in the finder for searches and Smart folders. It was a no brainer that this view showed file types sorted into different easily viewable categories. For images there was a play button in the blue divider. Now searches returns all files in a jumble so if you have any images in a project you have to find and the cmd click each image file and then use Quicklook. This is a step backwards as an intuitive method for finding and viewing files.. Very disappointing.
I understand that Apple has a philosophy of making the interface intuitive and simple for novice users to use but the face the danger of alienating more experienced users who expect to be able to use the interface in a much more advanced manner.
But I don't understand
1) Why quick-look does not work on items in stacks.
2) Why the stack icon is the pile'O icons and not the containing folder.
I'd prefer the icon pile to only appear when we hover the mouse over the stack.
C.
Honestly Leopard is a great update over Tiger but some of the things in it are plain retarded.
That's one of the best suggestions. I would add that it would flash new downloads what they are finished to notify the user.
Apple Really needs to hear this stuff.
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
Now I'm sure this new feature will fit into many people's lives just fine, but it's proving a real pain in the arse for me. See, I download a lot of (legal) live music, often in multiple-folder downloads, sometimes RAR files, and occasionally loose MP3 files. I have an established workflow in place to arrange these on my desktop, convert the RAR files, etc., before dragging the MP3s into iTunes. To be frank, I don't need Daddy Jobs telling me how to organise my shit. I already lost one download last night when I accidentally emptied the Downloads folder, thinking the file was safe 'n' sound on my desktop.
Bitching aside, my question is this: is there any way to turn Stacks off and go back to downloading files straight onto the desktop where they belong?
Thanks in advance,
Ste
The good news is that if you go into Safari preferences you can remap where your downloads go
Boom, done, don't see what the problem is.
Here's a secret, when you click the icon choose "Show in finder"
Boom, done, don't see what the problem is.
Yeah, that doesn't really address the concern, though.
With the current dock I can put a folder in, right click or click and hold, and get a nested hierarchical view. One click, and all I have to do is move the cursor to the file I'm looking for, no matter how many levels down. Plus, as others have noted, I can make the folder icon anything I want, so that I might be able to find it again.
Your way, I click on the icon, click on "Show in finder", then commence drilling down in the finder via multiple clicks. As a bonus, the folder icon will change depending what's on top, which, I mean, WTF?
Stacks behavior replacing the current behavior is insane, IMO. All you have to do is look at what a Stack grid view looks like vs. a sorted text column to make you wonder if the Apple UI people have taken to drinking on the job.
Small folders? An easy way to keep track of downloads for newbies? Great! Love it!
Use that to replace and eliminate the extremely useful Tiger behavior? Utterly, dumbfoundingly stupid.
Why? Why, Apple? Why must you always take something away, when you are dispensing your new hotness?