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Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

pock.dev

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Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#171

Post by b3b0p »

I kind of like the Touch Bar.

It's hackable, programmable, and versatile. I have never used F keys and making Caps Lock the new Escape key works better for me anyway since I have small hands.

How can you not like having Lemmings in your Touch Bar? [0]

I have no problems with the keyboard (my favorite is actually the PowerBook Pro Aluminum Keyboard), but it being basically the only moving part and arguably gets the most use of any component on the computer, it would be nice if it was user replaceable (the battery too, but ...). I'd like to always have a spare around or the ability to take it out and every once in a while get any dirt or whatever can get in under the keys out.

[0] https://github.com/erikolsson/Touch-Bar-Lemmings

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#172

Post by hvidgaard »

iainmerrick wrote: post #159
wlesieutre wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people who hate the key feel too. I think it's people who type more forcefully; the new keyboards have a nice clicky feel with a low travel distance, but they require a light touch or you're basically slamming your fingers into a solid object. I don't know why people type like that, but they do. I wonder if there's any correlation with people who stomp their feet when they walk. It's like they never picked…

I think your analogy is a major reach, but just to run with it: That reminds me of catlike movement (very graceful, very limited impact and noise) versus doglike (lots of movement and noise, bouncing up and down). And as it turns out, dogs use much less energy walking than cats do. Loud “doglike” typing isn’t necessarily a sign of inexperience, it’s actually energy-efficient and comfortable. I’ve never had RSI but I…

Not the person you're replying to.

But how would forceful typing be more energy efficient? You press harder (more muscle activation), keys travel longer (more muscle activation), and you have to move your fingers back "up" again.

Btw. the reason pianists want weighted keys is mostly because it mimics acoustic pianos. If you practice on non weighted keys and play on a piano, you would tire your fingers very quickly. Apart from that major reason, the weight gives a tactile feedback when playing that is arguably necessary to play beyond what you learn the first few years. Without it going back and forth between soft and loud requires an entirely different feedback mechanism.

But this does not IMO translate to keyboards. You're interested in the tactile feedback of the "click" that signals that the press has been registered.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#173

Post by hellofunk »

bluedino wrote: post #169

This is neat. However, I use the dock for dragging/dropping so it doesn't help me. I detest the TouchBar and think it's one of the worst ideas to come out of Apple in a long time. I'm waiting for them to end this joke.

It's also quite an expensive joke that consumers pay for. Hundreds of dollars equivalent extra in price for this "feature."

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#174

Post by kenbolton »

pintxo wrote: post #151
jack_pp wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinkpad user here, on Linux, with disabled trackpad. Vim and i3 make it almost useless

Positive side-effect of a disabled trackpad, everyone trying to show you something on your Thinkpad by taking command will quickly stop it once they have no control over the mouse.

Ask for consent before touching! The first time gets a warning, the second gets a gentle slap of the hand and a final warning, while the third attempt, well, after that, I will find places to work that aren't around you.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#175

Post by timw4mail »

iainmerrick wrote: post #159
wlesieutre wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people who hate the key feel too. I think it's people who type more forcefully; the new keyboards have a nice clicky feel with a low travel distance, but they require a light touch or you're basically slamming your fingers into a solid object. I don't know why people type like that, but they do. I wonder if there's any correlation with people who stomp their feet when they walk. It's like they never picked…

I think your analogy is a major reach, but just to run with it: That reminds me of catlike movement (very graceful, very limited impact and noise) versus doglike (lots of movement and noise, bouncing up and down). And as it turns out, dogs use much less energy walking than cats do. Loud “doglike” typing isn’t necessarily a sign of inexperience, it’s actually energy-efficient and comfortable. I’ve never had RSI but I…

I'm not sure its about energy used as much as feedback and finesse.

I prefer mechanical keyboards for the same reason I would prefer weighted keys on a keyboard: kinesthetic feedback. A weighted key gives you more direct feel of the balance of the key as it moves, which allows you to worry less about the complex muscle movements, and more about the actual music.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#176

Post by rock_artist »

bluedino wrote: post #169

This is neat. However, I use the dock for dragging/dropping so it doesn't help me. I detest the TouchBar and think it's one of the worst ideas to come out of Apple in a long time. I'm waiting for them to end this joke.

The return to PCIe convinced me Apple gets some response to feedback.

I have a mbp 13" 2018 and as most. The touchbar is the most unused feature (vs sdcard slot they've ditched for example).

However since the conversation here is about this app. It's the best dock on touchbar I've seen so far and it's open source. So it might not be that hard allowing some drag and drop.

With that said, I've installed pock this morning but with auto-hidden dock it feels that I don't waste so much screen real estate for the dock.

The main problem of the touchbar and any screen with touch is the fact you must engage your sight to it. Physical "static" devices avoids that (keyboard...) So the touchbar at least for me, breaks productivity vs engaging to it.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#177

Post by cknoxrun »

sbr464 wrote: post #26

Late to the party, but I just randomly realized today that copy & paste syncs across iOS and my iMac. Was surprisingly convenient. Apparently it’s been around since Sierra, but my settings are now in sync enough to just work.

Last summer we bought 3 Mac minis for some summer interns to use (biocurators) and I used the same apple account for each of them. We had a very confusing standup meeting the next day trying to figure out why seemingly random scientific text was continually replacing what had been in their clipboards. It turns out copying syncs across all devices, not just iOS Mac.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#178

Post by 52-6F-62 »

bluedino wrote: post #168
canadaduane wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that cmd+tab switching beyond 2 or 3 applications is not "superior" as it requires more recall of state than should be necessary. I've started using Alfred more often to switch to specific apps so that it doesn't matter where I'm coming "from" to get where I want to go "to." I also use Karibiner to switch the capslock key to "escape when pressed once" and "ctrl" when used in combination with any other key. Com…

Swipe up on the trackpad and just pick your window. Better than alt-tabbing all over the place.

I use this all of the time. I love the trackpad workflow. Now—if you are using an external keyboard and don't have the magic trackpad, then it's a larger PITA.

I have bound those commands to keys as well. So in my case I can swap workspaces by using CTRL+ and get that same view with CTRL+UP (but then still have to switch to mouse to select. I bought the apple trackpad recently because I prefer it that much—being able to do this actions one-handed. That said I'm also testing an ergonomic mouse so I lose some of that again—as I'm sure some of the case is for a lot of people. Hence all these other workarounds.

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#179

Post by IggleSniggle »

erichurkman wrote: post #167
monkeynotes wrote: post #150

IMO cmd+tab is far superior since it requires less movement from the rest position. I can navigate contexts extremely efficiently. I also use cmd+~ a lot for in-app window switching. I do like the idea of having the touch-bar as a notification center though, that would be pretty helpful. I have my Macbook on a stand with an external keyboard. Besides being ergonomically better like that, I also missed the physical es…

Coming from a rich context switcher from the Linux world, I've found Contexts [0] an absolute requirement for using Mac efficiently, especially in complex window arrangements or workflows that require many open applications or many windows of a specific application. [0] https://contexts.co/

If you are a keyboard-centric mac user, Contexts is wonderful! For such users, I also recommend checking out ShortCat: https://shortcatapp.com/

Re: Pock: Display macOS Dock in Touch Bar

#180

Post by robrtsql »

pintxo wrote: post #151
jack_pp wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinkpad user here, on Linux, with disabled trackpad. Vim and i3 make it almost useless

Positive side-effect of a disabled trackpad, everyone trying to show you something on your Thinkpad by taking command will quickly stop it once they have no control over the mouse.

They'd also probably stop when they saw you were running i3 and couldn't figure out how to pull up a web browser.
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