Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Dock Indicator Lights
- Thread starter pilot01
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The indicator lights also don't scale with the dock. If you have the dock set to a massive size, the lights will be hard to see because they remain small. Set the dock to its smallest size and they'll look huge.
When I open Calendar, then close the window the app stays on (shows indicator). Once I open another application Calendar closes.
I've noticed Preview doing the same things since Lion.
Don't count on it.
The whole point is with autosave, application state saving, and intelligent application closing, it shouldn't be your concern whether the app is running or not.
If you really need to know (i.e., for troubleshooting, or you're a nerd/control freak - like me, or most on here, no doubt), there is activity monitor, ps command, top, etc.
The average end user shouldn't need to know or care about this if the operating system works properly (i.e, it closes apps to free memory when required, pages intelligently, etc, etc).
Admittedly, there is some way to go, but that is apple's vision, and i seriously doubt they'll go backwards on that. iOS works this way, and there's no reason computers can't work that way too.
Needing to monitor what apps you have open is for nerds, and is not end-user friendly. When the user switches to the application it should open as it was before whether it was running at the time or not... whether it was active in memory or not is not something the user should be concerned with.
Just because computers haven't worked that way in the past, it doesn't mean that the old way is "right".
Yeah I'm getting the same behaviour. Almost tempted just to turn off the indicator lights and be done with it!
Only the Messages app seems to do this. Once you close it, it's still running and the light is there. As soon as you click elsewhere, the light goes.
It's similar to "Textedit" and "Preview" in that if they aren't open, they disappear if you switch to another app. However, in the former cases, they are quit completely while Messages is actually still running but the light goes out (and if you don't have it permanently in the dock, the icon disappears as if it's shut down).
Bug for sure. Either they mean to really quit the app but it isn't doing so or it's never mean to quit when closing it and should appear as always running.
It's similar to "Textedit" and "Preview" in that if they aren't open, they disappear if you switch to another app. However, in the former cases, they are quit completely while Messages is actually still running but the light goes out (and if you don't have it permanently in the dock, the icon disappears as if it's shut down).
Bug for sure. Either they mean to really quit the app but it isn't doing so or it's never mean to quit when closing it and should appear as always running.
I had the same problem you had, but a simple logout and log back in fixed it for me, no need to restart.
Small bug, not a big deal for me.
So I thought that the issue was resolved with a simple reboot. How wrong I was! I am back with the same problem every time that I wake the system up from sleep.
The apparent fix per Apple Techs is to delete "com.apple.doc.plst" from library/preferences/.
Well this did not do the trick. This problem seems to be a real bug in Mountain Lion, At least on my system (Mid 2011 27" iMac)
For me it is a big deal, It is impossible to tell if a app is running or not. In order to actually quit a app, I have to go to the force quit menu. Unacceptable. I am wondering if there is any way to revert my system back to Ver OS 10.7?
You are right, a log out and log in restores dock functionality. Still unacceptable.
The problem is deeper than just indicator lights. If you right click on a dock icon, you do not get all of the commands that should be available. Also, no badges are never shown on the icon ( Mail, messages, ext.)
Any one got any ideas? Apple Tech Support has not been any help here.
Not sure what to suggest, but as a point of information dock lights and commands are working fine here on a MBP 17 on ML done as a straight upgrade from Lion.
Nor on my 11" MBA. Wish I could make them brighter:
Just sent them feedback. Make them brighter or give us a setting.
I really am perplexed as to why people like the "new" dock.app.
It's a shiny reflective silver dock with small sliver of shiny indicator lights. Why has Apple always chosen a silver dock with indistinguishable glowing app indicators? It's baffling.
----------
Right. Except there is there has been the option for a while now to turn off indicator lights. During Lion beta's many complained that not having indicator lights for open app's was problematic, thus Apple engineers allowed for turning them on and off. However, even on they are extremely difficult to notice.
It's a shiny reflective silver dock with small sliver of shiny indicator lights. Why has Apple always chosen a silver dock with indistinguishable glowing app indicators? It's baffling.
----------
Right. Except there is there has been the option for a while now to turn off indicator lights. During Lion beta's many complained that not having indicator lights for open app's was problematic, thus Apple engineers allowed for turning them on and off. However, even on they are extremely difficult to notice.
This may be a picky observation, but it seems to me that the iTunes and App Store icons' reflections in the new ML dock are more prominent than all other icons' reflections. It draws my eye to these two icons first before any others when looking at my dock. Do you think this is on purpose? It's can't be mere coincidence that these are the apps where we buy stuff.
It does matter to me. A lot of apps work automatically, checking email or status, which I would otherwise have to do myself if they are not on. Checking whether or not they are on confirms whether the apps are at work. iTunes automatically syncs my iPhone so its nice to know if it is on and syncing, updating podcasts, or still downloading an app or file. Sometimes I have an alarm app on in the background, so I can easily check if I can see the indicator light. The indicator lights are way too small. This stuff doesn't seem nerdy to me, it is just routine.
If you think about it this is why Apple introduced launch pad. If you look at it holistically you keep zero apps on your dock except running apps and you the simple gesture and click via launch pad to open the apps you need. Thus on the dock means running, else go to launch pad to open.
In this context dock lights are not needed. Of course I realize this is not how many people use their Mac and many people do not like launch pad. But it is how I use it and makes perfect sense to me anyway.
But if course ymmv.
In this context dock lights are not needed. Of course I realize this is not how many people use their Mac and many people do not like launch pad. But it is how I use it and makes perfect sense to me anyway.
But if course ymmv.
I can see light next to Safari and other app that is still running. but light will go off if I pull down menu and quit Safari or other app. I don't always use "x" button. 
Apps that sync themselves over the network can tell the OS to keep them open.
As mail and ical already do.
I have this issue now too. As described by others, the indicator lights do not appear in the dock, apart from Finder, and the right-click menu isn't showing the normal options (no Close option).
i'm using Snow Leopard 10.6.8 on an old Macbook Pro (late 08 unibody). Have been using this laptop for years without ever experiencing this issue. I upgraded to a new SSD harddisk which I restored from a Time Machine backup. First thing I noticed after booting up was this dock issue.
The drive which I use for Time Machine is formatted to the usual Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I use the Snow Leopard install DVD to restore from the backup.
So seems the underlying issue has been around for some time, Snow Leopard at the latest.
i'm using Snow Leopard 10.6.8 on an old Macbook Pro (late 08 unibody). Have been using this laptop for years without ever experiencing this issue. I upgraded to a new SSD harddisk which I restored from a Time Machine backup. First thing I noticed after booting up was this dock issue.
The drive which I use for Time Machine is formatted to the usual Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I use the Snow Leopard install DVD to restore from the backup.
So seems the underlying issue has been around for some time, Snow Leopard at the latest.