J_K9 @ Linux

Kiba-Dock—The Interactive Dock Toolbar Redefined

June 3, 2007 on 3:41 am | In Reviews, Desktop Environments & Window Managers, Software | 13 Comments

Anyone who has used a Mac will be familiar with the “Dock.” The Dock is a toolbar that sits at the bottom of the screen, allowing for quick access to your favourite applications and fast switching between them. Icons in the Dock represent the different applications or links and may even change colour according to their status—the Adium X instant messaging client is an excellent example of this. A black arrow beneath an icon in the Dock signifies that that application is currently open.

But enough of this lecture—why is the Dock useful, and why would we want one on Linux? Well, first of all, you don’t have to navigate through a traditional tree-based menu to reach the application you are looking for; you can simply click on its icon in the Dock and it opens. It is also more visually appealing than other toolbars, particularly Gnome’s. As an extension to this point, not only do Docks look excellent but there is a certain Dock which takes this even further—it provides a physics engine (Akamaru), allowing you to hurl and bounce the icons around your screen, and if that’s not fun then I don’t know what is!

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