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Why using a dock anyway?

In taskbars much space is wasted because usually you have three icons for often used programs: The shortcut, the entry in the window list (even with window title written to the taskbar), and a tray icon.
A good concept of a dock could reduce those to only one item. you don't even need a seperate icon for the tray because you could add all functions to the one remaining icon. The only purpose of tray icons is to save space on the taskbar for regularly used programs. This purpose gets obsolete if there is only one icon left.

What's the main problem with Mac-Style docks?

All implementations so far don't replace the taskbar because tray icons and plasmoids are not displayed in the dock, so you still need two bars.

Why is Plasma just the right thing for implementing the dock idea?

Because you could keep the taskbar and only replace the shortcut icons and the window list with a new dock plasmoid which acts like in mac OS.
So you would have one single bar which combines shortcuts and indicator if a program is running in a dock plasmoid, but you could still see tray icons and other plasmoids (like the clock or K button).

Update: Fancytasks looks a little bit as the thing that I imagine, but it seems to be in a very early stage.

i use something like a dock, its a big, autohide, panel, full coustomized.

I'm not sure I would use that, but it would be nice if it exists

What about Fancy Tasks or Daisy?

TheBlackCat wrote:What about Fancy Tasks or Daisy?

EDITED: Fancytasks goes into the right direction, but it seems to be in an early stage.

Quite frankly, I don't see a valid reason as to why the developers should use up time to create a dock. There are already lots of docks out there, and KDE should push for quality desktop experience. Not implementing every little feature in the world, such as a dock. Most people I know who use GNU/Linux hate docks. A very small number of people would use it. It's a nice idea, but there are more important tasks to be handled first. I'm afraid I've reached my verdict. (-1)

Hi ! (sorry for my bad english).

I'm already using cairo-dock under kde 4.4 beta1.
but a KDE dock why not but not as a plasmoid because when desktop = activity, each plasmoid are displaying on one desktop only.

this is a problem with daisy for exemple. if I put it on my desktop/activity 1. I can't see it on my desktop/activity 2, 3... I haven't got this problem with cairo-dock.

+1 for KDE dock - nobody forces you to use it and there are people that like it. Maybe there is no need to implement every little feature in the world, but again - in this case we wouldn't have kwin composition, netbook plasma environment etc and surely not everybody uses it. That's why integrated KDE dock as a option would be good (I like Fancy Tasks as well).

Seems like the right design approach: a plasmoid that acts both as an application launcher, task manager and application tray which could be added to an existing panel much like the actual task manager plasmoid. This would avoid re-implementing existing plasmoids as "docker plugins", and go along the modularity plasmoids offer (as with the background customization, this should be the panel's theme job).

If the best user interface would be a no-click to accomplish everything, dockers are doing a pretty good job along that line.

@jajaX: Put daisy in a panel. (If it is a proper plasmoid, it will work as it should in there - if not, complain to the author )

From the author of Daisy:

"I have decided that for allowing an evolution of Daisy a new approach was necessary. To provide better features like covering windows, better screen placement, adding other applets to it as "plugins", (...); Daisy needs to be changed into a panel-like widget. This task will require a rewrite of most of the code, it will take some time to do it. Until then please feel free to comment and suggest new features as those might find a way into the new Daisy. "

... Good design win.

Awesome - I'm looking forward to it. The problem is that most of the current docks seem much more like hacks than docks.

In fact the closest I ever got to a dock was the plasma theme "Sabre Tooth" with the "Stasks" widget.

strav wrote:From the author of Daisy:

"I have decided that for allowing an evolution of Daisy a new approach was necessary. To provide better features like covering windows, better screen placement, adding other applets to it as "plugins", (...); Daisy needs to be changed into a panel-like widget. This task will require a rewrite of most of the code, it will take some time to do it. Until then please feel free to comment and suggest new features as those might find a way into the new Daisy. "

... Good design win.

good news