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You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > The one Vista feature I would love in 10.5.... SIDEBAR!

The one Vista feature I would love in 10.5.... SIDEBAR!
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Severed Hand of Skywalker
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Feb 2, 2006, 05:24 PM
 
With widescreen monitors the norm from Apple for the most part I think it would be a good idea for Apple to make better use of all that space.

Most of us have Safari/Firefox running all the time taking up about 50% of your screen. The rest is a pretty view of your desktop and all the neat icons you have chosen. That is a waste.

Now I don't like the way Microsoft has gone about it in Vista, it is ugly. I don't need a giant clock or slideshow images.

What I would like is a list of recent emails, RSS feeds, weather, iTunes controls etc.
Currently I have menubar add-ons running to control itunes as controlling it from dashboard or the dock is a pain.

http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6034...4456&subj=news


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mduell
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Feb 2, 2006, 05:27 PM
 
Huh, the sidebar is back. It was in the early betas (4xxx), but gone in the more recent ones (5270).
I wonder if they've pinned down a date for the new beta in February.

I agree it's perfect for RSS/email/weather, but useless for slideshows and the giant clock.
     
HungrySeacow
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Feb 2, 2006, 05:55 PM
 
Boo! I think this would be a horrible idea . Maybe you could get away with it if you had a 30" display, but anything less then that, desktop space is needed. The Dashboard is a much better idea then the sidebar. Doesn't take up any desktop space
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Severed Hand of Skywalker  (op)
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Feb 2, 2006, 05:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by HungrySeacow
Boo! I think this would be a horrible idea . Maybe you could get away with it if you had a 30" display, but anything less then that, desktop space is needed. The Dashboard is a much better idea then the sidebar. Doesn't take up any desktop space
What in the world does your desktop look like?

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Drakino
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Feb 2, 2006, 06:09 PM
 
You can always use the dashboard developer mode to keep widgets on your desktop:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...50422172929402

It's not quite the same, but it may help.
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Jawbone54
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Feb 2, 2006, 06:10 PM
 
My 15" PBook screen (last PPC gen) usually has juuuust a bit of space on either side, depending on the application. I like the idea of the sidebar, but I still prefer Dashboard. Why take up a portion of the screen for Sidebar when you can use the entire thing with just one click?
     
olePigeon
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Feb 2, 2006, 06:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by Drakino
You can always use the dashboard developer mode to keep widgets on your desktop:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...50422172929402

It's not quite the same, but it may help.
Maybe a more permanent implementation? Kinda like the original NeXT or X Windows. Put that bar on the right side and choose 3 or 4 (or however many) widgets you want on it.
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Big Mac
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Feb 2, 2006, 06:48 PM
 
I always place my Dock on the right side.

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Hawkeye_a
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Jawbone54
My 15" PBook screen (last PPC gen) usually has juuuust a bit of space on either side, depending on the application. I like the idea of the sidebar, but I still prefer Dashboard. Why take up a portion of the screen for Sidebar when you can use the entire thing with just one click?
Dashboard is awesome. you can pretty much allocate the entire screen to RSS and you dont have to winge about the space it takes up. The "sidebar" on the otherhand...yeeshhh... too much real estate taken up ALL THE TIME. ppl who use any pro app would not like it imo, unless u could make it go away (which dashboard does anyway).

I prefer OSX's take on it.
     
tooki
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:07 PM
 
FYI, the left-hand column in Tiger's Finder windows is already called the sidebar.

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Severed Hand of Skywalker  (op)
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by Jawbone54
Why take up a portion of the screen for Sidebar when you can use the entire thing with just one click?
So you don't have to keep pushing a button to get updates.

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Brass
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:42 PM
 
An option to have Dashboard permenantly visible on the desktop, or permenantly visible in a window (on the side of the screen) would make a lot of sense (without having to use the developer hack). This way you can keep an eye on your widgets without having to activate dashboard, and then de-activate dashboard every time you wanted a quick look.

Doesn't worry me either way, as I never use Dashboard at all (removed it from my Dock completely). But I would imagine that a little more flexibility wouldn't hurt. Different people have different needs and different preferences.
     
mdc
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker
So you don't have to keep pushing a button to get updates.
Assign a screen corner to dashboard then.

Personally, I really don't like the sidebar. I think it is a waste of space and dashboard does everything in a much nicer way. There when you want the information, and not there for the other 99% of the time.
     
Mediaman_12
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:48 PM
 
The problem with this is that 99.9% of windows users have regular dimensioned displays (unlike on the Mac where Apple have been selling 'widescreen' displays for a good number of years). and a 'sidebar' like this makes no sense at all with an almost square display it's just a huge waste of screen real estate.
     
Doofy
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:48 PM
 
The option to have this would be nice. Even including the more useless items like the slideshow (I usually have the Konfabulator slideshow widget in more or less the same space that one in XP occupies).

How much work could it be to simply give us the option to house the existing in a sidebar-like framework at the edge of the screen if we wanted it?
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Rolling Bones
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Feb 2, 2006, 08:10 PM
 
I like the whole look of Vista.

I'm using a pirated copy on my PC and it's great.
     
TheoCryst
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Feb 2, 2006, 08:55 PM
 
I'm fine with Leopard including a sidebar-ish widget dock, as long as it's optional. I'd never want to waste my limited screen space on something like that (12" iBook). It makes sense on a widescreen, but not on a more squareular screen... which makes me wonder about its usability on Vista. Like Mediaman_12 said, most PC users have the old-skool 4x3 aspect ratio.

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JoshuaZ
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Feb 2, 2006, 09:42 PM
 
I would like a built in bar.

`Computer, make me a rum and coke.`

Mmm.... that would make work sooo much better. Though it may lead to problems with frying your computer due to untold rum leaks.

Ooooo cooling your computer using beer! That would be great!
     
hayesk
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:05 PM
 
Originally Posted by Brass
An option to have Dashboard permenantly visible on the desktop, or permenantly visible in a window (on the side of the screen) would make a lot of sense (without having to use the developer hack). This way you can keep an eye on your widgets without having to activate dashboard, and then de-activate dashboard every time you wanted a quick look.
Well then why not use the Developer hack? It works fine.
     
Brass
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by hayesk
Well then why not use the Developer hack? It works fine.
Because the standard way to implement preferences is to use the preferences pane of the application (or system preferences).

Simply because it needs to be neater to become mainstream for your average user.
     
Brass
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by hayesk
Well then why not use the Developer hack? It works fine.
oh... AND...

Because a complete sidebar implementation would prevent anything from obscuring it. this is currently not possible with Dashboard. Either dashboard widgets obscure normal windows, or (with the hack) normal windows can obscure dashboard widgets.
     
volcano
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:23 PM
 
I prefer Dashboard. Why? There isn't anything THAT necessary widget-wise that it deserves to steal my screen real estate. Sure, I have a 20" widescreen.. but I still like to have "room to breathe," so to speak. Apple likes simplicity. We already have a dock and the top menu bar - adding yet another "bar" like item to the screen would make your desktop too cluttered and cramped.
     
Brass
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by volcano
I prefer Dashboard. Why? There isn't anything THAT necessary widget-wise that it deserves to steal my screen real estate. Sure, I have a 20" widescreen.. but I still like to have "room to breathe," so to speak. Apple likes simplicity. We already have a dock and the top menu bar - adding yet another "bar" like item to the screen would make your desktop too cluttered and cramped.
I agree. And I don't use dashboard anyway.

But for those that want widgets always visible on screen, and unobscurable, such an option would make sense. So long as it was an option that didn't affect everyone else.
     
milhous
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Feb 2, 2006, 11:18 PM
 
while i don't like to make generalizations, i've come to the realization that for the most part, mostly microsoft and sometimes apple disregards the needs and wants of the power-user.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that most of what we're seeing today like the vista ui is being tailored towards the end-user consumer demographic.

it will be almost 11 years since we've seen and grown accustom to the windows taskbar and start menu. the fact that they haven't been able to innovate the primary means of navigating the filesystem and to basically introduce an additional warmed-up taskbar called "sidebar" bordering another side of the screen is an embarrassment. surely, the ui isn't dead.
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ReggieX
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Feb 2, 2006, 11:22 PM
 
Ew, no thanks.
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turtle777
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Feb 3, 2006, 12:05 AM
 


I'm not sure. Apple really had to make it sweet so I'd buy into it.
     
Kerrigan
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Feb 3, 2006, 12:33 AM
 
I once tried out the Google sidebar which contains RSS feeds, emails, computer search, and a few other things. I hated it and closed it right away because it was too distracting and made my computer seem too cluttered.
     
saddino
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Feb 3, 2006, 12:58 AM
 
Originally Posted by Brass
oh... AND...

Because a complete sidebar implementation would prevent anything from obscuring it. this is currently not possible with Dashboard. Either dashboard widgets obscure normal windows, or (with the hack) normal windows can obscure dashboard widgets.
Actually, with the dev mode hack, widgets remain floating over all windows.
     
Cubeoid
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Feb 3, 2006, 01:33 AM
 
That is a pretty desktop background.
     
olePigeon
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Feb 3, 2006, 12:47 PM
 
http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/

There you go. And it doesn't even take up space on the screen.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
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Severed Hand of Skywalker  (op)
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Feb 3, 2006, 12:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by olePigeon
http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/

There you go. And it doesn't even take up space on the screen.
That thing is totally retarded.

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Jawbone54
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Feb 3, 2006, 02:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by olePigeon
http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/

There you go. And it doesn't even take up space on the screen.
*throws up*
     
   
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