Windows 7 taskbar vs Mac OSX Dock

[BlackLight]

Which do you think is better? and Why?

Personally, with me still testing W.7. i'm loving the new taskbar cause there are soo much you can do with it ..while the mac doc is just sitting there. thats just me..what do you'll guys think.

 

[nagromme]

Which do you think is better? and Why?

As long as I can store folders there, and when I drag stuff onto a docked folder I can hit the space bar to drill down as far as I like, navigating my entire hard drive in one mouse-drag, I'll give either one a chance

And as long as it works well on the LEFT! Away from scrollbars (accidental clicks) and not wasting vertical document space. We have wide screens, so Docks and taskbars belong on the side

And as long as apps can have custom menus out of their dock icon (like skipping tracks in iTunes) without needing some separate icon to do that.

 

[petvas]

The Windows 7 Taskbar is just a copy of Mac OS X's dock. Don't tell me it ain't!
All the new features are really a copy of the way the dock works..

Copying isnt necessarily bad, I just expected a bit of innovating while copying..They haven't done it...Even the way the desktop appears when u move the mouse on the right corner is a copy...

 

[CountPollen]

win7 "dock" rip-off

And you ask this on a mac forum

I've searched for some images from the win7 beta.
So far the features it will offer come closer and closer to osx. MS copycats are doing their best to make a windows "dock". But it looks ugly still.
I think that they should start to use their brains instead of stealing the work of OS designers.

Description is pretty lame as well:
"Taskbar: Streamlined for fewer redundant buttons. Users can drag icons to customize placement. Faster switching between applications and files. Right-clicking on program icons reveals recent documents or key features."

Sounds like that's what Mac users have had a dock since os x 10.0 (2001)!

Update: looks like I'm not alone in my opinion:
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=723564

 

[Stridder44]

The OS X Dock has been around much longer than OS X....


The "who copied who" argument aside, I really like the Windows 7 taskbar. Although the Dock can have folders and whatnot attached to it (I didn't test to see if the Taskbar could). Honestly, it's hard to say. They're both awesome.

What I can say is that anyone who thinks the old Taskbar is better is insane.

 

[stainlessliquid]

Its actually the same as what Windows has had since XP, grouping similair items to one button on the taskbar and just integrating it with quick-launch. Its just more dock-like in design since they got rid of the titles.

One thing that really kills the dock is being able to mouseover each icon to show all the different windows open, which also works with tabs.

Functionally the W7 taskbar is a lot better than the dock, but I prefer everything centered the way it is on the dock. Having all your buttons on the left doesnt feel right.

 

[chewietobbacca]

All the people here saying the taskbar is just a copy of the dock is wrong. Yes they have some things that look similar, but their functionality is very different.

And personally I prefer the new win 7 taskbar. It's far more functional and I hide my dock and taskbars anways, so why do I care how it looks?

But you're asking this question on a Mac forum, so what results did you expect

(btw if this thread was about the new explorer vs finder, it wouldn't even be close)

 

[NexusEclipse]

Win 7 vs Mac OSX doc

Going from all windows/linux (Pre 2007- shuttle xpc, XBMC (kinda win), Dell600, etc.) to ALL mac (have an imac, macbookair, appletv, iphone 2g/3g, time capsule, and more I am sure) the dock was a huge upgrade. The start menu while useful was woefully inadequate. Having to have folders for each individual app (not groups of apps) was painful but i still added a "programs" menu to my OSX dock.

That being said the new win7 taskbar has quite a new features that the mac may want to "borrow" and many that were straight copies from OSX:

The app preview is very useful. Click on an item on the dock and all open windows are shown with a mini preview. Kind of a mini expose for each app.

Startmenu is better but still a bit cumbersome.

The taskbar icons are better managed than before and the monochrome color scheme for the icons (read inverted copy from mac) are easier to follow without looking childish.

The clickable show desktop button is also nice and out of the way.

I havent played too much with it but will update if anything else strikes. There are bound to be more hidden features than what I found from a first glance. Also I have been bummed out from not being able to test out the x64 version with my 2007 imac. Once I get that working, i may find out more.

 

[edgew8]

As an apple fanboy I'll even admit the new new superbar is nice and was very much needed for windows. People need to stop calling "copycat" thats fanboy talk. Apple copies good ideas just as much anyone. Hell, Irix had a dock that nextstep copied and then ported into OSX

 

[chewietobbacca]

Strangely enough, gizmodo decided to put an article up on why the win 7 superbar is better than the dock:

Gizmodo Article

I guess this is the line that sums up my thoughts on it, and where Apple can definitely improve on:

The challenge of learning a totally new Windows behavior is the cost of getting this huge step forward in UI. The superbar makes Windows way more conducive to running tons of applications, since it's actually possible to find apps and precisely the window you want in a second, no matter how bad the *****torm on your desktop is. In this sense, it's a better application manager than the Dock, from which, generally speaking, you can't do much more than jump to open applications or close them.

I like the ability for people to give more functionality to right clicking the icon. CS4 benefits a lot, but iTunes could be better on this

 

[iParis]

I've bee testing Windows 7 for awhile and it seems to me like the Mac OS X dock is better.
Copysoft fails once again.

 

[diego2k7]

I've bee testing Windows 7 for awhile and it seems to me like the Mac OS X dock is better.
Copysoft fails once again.

What a logical and deeply insightful argument. ::sigh::

 

[Bengt77]

I voted for 'Others', as I love the Mac OS X Dock, whereas I don't know what the Mac OSX Doc is...

 

[Digital Skunk]

Like the OSX dock simply because i can launch frequently used apps, and view folders as well. Stacks are pretty cool in OSX as well, and how I get the clutter down.

I like the view bar thing though, more than Expose even.

 

[synagence]

While its certainly clear that Windows 7 borrows from the dock in some manner (in that its both a task bar and a launcher combined) i still feel the dock is a more coherent and logical method.

I'm running windows 7 in vm and it really is just a windows vista service pack 2. . . its clear its been re-engineered deep inside, it performs better than an equivalent VM running vista, it just doesn't feel drastically different and i find the new task bar a little uninspired. I also really don't like the fact that Ribbon UI is the defacto UI in 7 now

 

[Consultant]

About the Mac OS Dock
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/10/road_to_mac_os_x_leopard_dock_1_6.html

I hope this holds up in court
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/08/apple_awarded_patent_on_the_dock.html

 

[Watabou]

I've too been testing the new taskbar. I definitely like the new taskbar way better than vista's taskar and the previous versions. I like the Dock too.

So there is no option for "both" is there?

 

[kevin j]

The OS X Dock has been around much longer than OS X....


Although the Dock can have folders and whatnot attached to it (I didn't test to see if the Taskbar could).
.

If a folder is added a library icon. Right-clicking gives the library jumplist of recently used folders with the folder you added pinned to the top. A solution that is closer to stacks would be to right-click, add new toolbar and select the folder you wish. The shortcut appears to the right (but does not have icon view). Stacks is much more elegant as well. Here is a stack clone for mac users who have to use windows. http://www.chrisnsoft.com/standalonestack/

 

[FX120]

About the Mac OS Dock
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/10/road_to_mac_os_x_leopard_dock_1_6.html

I hope this holds up in court
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/08/apple_awarded_patent_on_the_dock.html

It should be noted, however, that the patent awarded to Apple this week doesn't grant the company broad ownership to the principles behind software-based application trays. It instead pertains to aspects of a dock specific to the company's implementation, primarily its magnification component and ability to display application names as a user cycles through its icons.

 

[Techguy172]

I really like the taskbar, Using it right now, It has some many great features that I like better than the dock however I still really like stacks. I think some of you need pull your head out of your *** and at least give it a shot. Microsoft is doing a pretty good job, Stop saying they copy everything, there's many things apple has copied too. The Show desktop features is really nice and so are the thumbnails, this is something I wish the dock had.

I also really like that it now matches the rest of the aero design.

 

[iParis]

What a logical and deeply insightful argument. ::sigh::

Sorry if my post wasn't good enough for you, I did it from my iPod while eating dinner.

 

[dotdotdot]

I think that the taskbar in Windows 7 is the OS X Dock done right. The Dock needed supplements, such as expose, to fully perform the vast functions of the taskbar.

However, even though just a breath ago I compared the two, they really shouldn't be. Aside from visual differences, each serves a different purpose for their fundamental OS. I've used OS X Dock emulators for Windows and it feels out of place, redundant, and frankly unnecessary. Windows 7 furthers this and renders them obsolete. But for OS X, the dock does a fantastic job. The Windows 7 taskbar however would add something to OS X, but many of it's features exist in a different form so its practicality would be up for debate.

 

[Topher15]

Here's a review of the Windows 7 taskbar: http://i.gizmodo.com/5131933/giz-explains-why-the-windows-7-taskbar-beats-mac-os-xs-dock

Turning the taskbar into an full blown app launcher does ring of similarities (I do think they took some 'inspiration' from OS X) however I see it as more of a combination of the previous quick launch feature, and of Vistas taskbar preview feature.

The Dock on its own might not be as useful as the new taskbar, however when you combine the features of both the Dock and Expose (which is a far more appropriate comparison since the new taskbar attempts to combine the feature of both), OS X's functionality tops it, in my view.

Here's why:

- Expose works the same way regardless of the amount of windows you have, while Aero Peek breaks down once you reach the limit of the screen width.

- While Aero Peek gives you full size previews of your windows, a full size preview is not totally necessary if you just need to identify a specific window.

- Expose allows you to view all windows, or just the windows from one app. The new taskbar does not allow you to see all windows at the same time, while what it does allow you to do is still a slower process compared to Expose, requiring you to move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen, hover over the app icon, then hover over each windows preview individually, then choose. Contrast with Expose where you press a button or move to a hot corner (you do not need to specifically aim for a icon), you see the windows all together (rather than individually), then you click to choose.

It's certainly a great improvement, however combining the distinct functionality of an app launcher and window management into one feature has its limits. OS X's distinct implementation of these functions is overall more successful.

 

[Topher15]

As long as I can store folders there, and when I drag stuff onto a docked folder I can hit the space bar to drill down as far as I like, navigating my entire hard drive in one mouse-drag, I'll give either one a chance

According to the link I posted in my post above:

The superbar's biggest shortcoming—at least when you first use it—relates to the way it handles folders and document shortcuts, which is exceptionally confusing. You can only pin one folder to the bar. After that, every subsequent folder you want to pin to the taskbar is pinned to Windows Explorer. Say you have the Libraries folder pinned for quick access to Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc. But I also want another folder (in this example, Games and Computer) pinned to the taskbar, so I drag it to the bar. There, it shares the same icon as my first pinned folder. When I click the icon, up pops Libraries. Where's the Games folder? I have to right-click on the folder icon (or click and swipe up). This gives me a jump list of pinned folders and other frequent programs. You pin documents the same way, only they're hidden in the jump menu of the application that opens them. It takes some learning before you can use it fluidly.

 

[VPrime]

I like the thumbnail view thing in windows7.. I like how it handles multiple windows of the same application.
I wish OS X had a similar feature.

Both OS X and windows7 have their benefits.. Stacks in OS X are wicked, but the thumbnail view in 7 is also very nice... If only they could have a child together, what a perfect dock it could be!