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ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,942
11,369
I know what dashboard is, but don't see how it is useful for me.
That's because nobody is developing "widgets" (small apps, really) for it. If Apple had kept up support for it and developed a Dashboard app platform, there would be tons of cool, current uses for it. As it is, it's sort of limited to legacy widgets and whatever you can put in there using web clippings.
 
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jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,828
1,591
Colorado
Really? Dashboard? Not the Dock, or the Finder icon, or the systemwide menubar, or anything else?

Half my students have Macs and I've never seen them even touch Dashboard.

Not saying it should go away just because I don't use it, but it's practically abandonware at this point.

I use dashboard sometimes however Notification Center more often.
 
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fedux

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2013
21
20
Ok. I've just installed Sierra and made some tests. The system is as fast as before, maybe faster I would say and Dashboard is still alive!!! Just the same as it was from Snow Leopard to today. I'm very happy.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
It's like the iPods; they're still being sold somewhere on Apple's website, but nobody knows where and why. And that's just sad, because it's hard to move on from iconic products or even iconic OS X apps.
 

fedux

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2013
21
20
It's like the iPods; they're still being sold somewhere on Apple's website, but nobody knows where and why. And that's just sad, because it's hard to move on from iconic products or even iconic OS X apps.

You're right, but the saddest thing is that there are still no good alternatives to them! So I always hope Apple would continue to develop and support them.

Another big, big loss was iWeb... I really miss that wonderful piece of SW, it was easy and powerful and everyone could start a webpage or a blog in a few hours.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
You're right, but the saddest thing is that there are still no good alternatives to them! So I always hope Apple would continue to develop and support them.

Another big, big loss was iWeb... I really miss that wonderful piece of SW, it was easy and powerful and everyone could start a webpage or a blog in a few hours.

For me, iWeb was replaced by Adobe Muse which is far superior in many ways. Dashboard is sort-of replaced by the Notifaction center which swipes in from the right, iPods have been replaced by iPhones and the Watch.

It's not exactly the same, but I do believe the changes are inevitable in the quickly changing world of technology. Dashboard isn't quite as big a deal though.
 
The dashboard was useful in the pre-Lion days, but since Lion I started phasing away from it. Same thing with spaces, as soon as they switched to Mission Control (Lion) I didn't really have a want to use it for separate desktops. I know I'm still using it with full screen apps. Instead I just went to dual monitors if I needed more screen real estate.

I was probably more upset with the removal of Front Row than I was Dashboard since it was like having an Apple TV without the TV.
[doublepost=1474465981][/doublepost]
Another big, big loss was iWeb... I really miss that wonderful piece of SW, it was easy and powerful and everyone could start a webpage or a blog in a few hours.

Lol, even iDVD in the beginning had more features for making movies than Windows Movie Maker had at the end. Apple made more robust software, probably why we are all sad to see it go.
 
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fedux

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2013
21
20
For me, iWeb was replaced by Adobe Muse which is far superior in many ways. Dashboard is sort-of replaced by the Notifaction center which swipes in from the right, iPods have been replaced by iPhones and the Watch.

It's not exactly the same, but I do believe the changes are inevitable in the quickly changing world of technology. Dashboard isn't quite as big a deal though.

Speaking about SW, you're not right. Os x used to ship with the iLife suite that wasn't designed for Pro's, but made everyone capable of doing something good in things that, in the years before, were done only by Pro's.
There have always been better SW's than iLife's ones, but whoever, buying a Mac, knew that he could start doing things without learning complex SW or buying others.

Speaking about HW, you're right when you say that an iPhone is better than an iPod, but this is true only if you don't put it under a specific contest. For a runner, a dancer or a sport's player, an iPod nano is, by far, the best choice for listening music while training.
Bringing your iPhone could be "part of the training"!!! :) Opting for the Watch would force you to also buy an iphone, if you already don't have one, to bring only 4 GB (or 2?) of music with you and to even buy a pair of bluetooth phones...
Considering all of the above we understand why ipods are still sold!

I think Cook is a great economist, but not a great leader with a schematic view like Steve Jobs was.
 

Carlanga

macrumors 604
Nov 5, 2009
7,132
1,409
Really? Dashboard? Not the Dock, or the Finder icon, or the systemwide menubar, or anything else?

Half my students have Macs and I've never seen them even touch Dashboard.

Not saying it should go away just because I don't use it, but it's practically abandonware at this point.
Those students came late to the mac party, to this day I still use a transparent dashboard w widgets for weather, tracking packages, calendar, calculator, istat pro, translator and more. All this things are in one spot for easy and fast accessibility without having to close down whatever I'm working on.

---------------------

Yes TS, the dashboard works exactly the same as it did before :)
 
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sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
Speaking about SW, you're not right. Os x used to ship with the iLife suite that wasn't designed for Pro's, but made everyone capable of doing something good in things that, in the years before, were done only by Pro's.
There have always been better SW's than iLife's ones, but whoever, buying a Mac, knew that he could start doing things without learning complex SW or buying others.

Speaking about HW, you're right when you say that an iPhone is better than an iPod, but this is true only if you don't put it under a specific contest. For a runner, a dancer or a sport's player, an iPod nano is, by far, the best choice for listening music while training.
Bringing your iPhone could be "part of the training"!!! :) Opting for the Watch would force you to also buy an iphone, if you already don't have one, to bring only 4 GB (or 2?) of music with you and to even buy a pair of bluetooth phones...
Considering all of the above we understand why ipods are still sold!

I think Cook is a great economist, but not a great leader with a schematic view like Steve Jobs was.

Yes, you're right that iWeb was part of free software included with each Mac and I remember being very happy with it. Adobe services are very expensive, but I have to use them for Photoshop and Illustrator anyway. For others Muse is probably not an option or too complicated and that's a shame.

I love iPods, but they're useless now that I use Apple Music. I just started running and I'm able to hold my iPhone 6 Plus in my right hand while it's playing music on my (wired) earbuds and tracking my every move. A GPS Apple Watch 2 with wireless buds will be my next. Those options are superior to the iPod Nano with step counter for me.
 

apple_iBoy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2003
734
495
Philadelphia, PA
Those students came late to the mac party, to this day I still use a transparent dashboard w widgets for weather, tracking packages, calendar, calculator, istat pro, translator and more. All this things are in one spot for easy and fast accessibility without having to close down whatever I'm working on.

I may have come early to the mac party, because I never got the widgets wagon and missed the wave entirely.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
Just found out you can download third party widgets for Notification Center in the App Store... What's the point of Dashboard again?
 

fedux

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2013
21
20
Just found out you can download third party widgets for Notification Center in the App Store... What's the point of Dashboard again?

Without ever leaving the App I'm using I can always launch Dashboard "over" the screen and take notes, check stats and system parameters, get contacts info and check for appointments.
Notification center isn't that smart.
 
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sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
Just goes to show how different people's use scenarios are. To me, Dashboard is perhaps the single feature I use most when I'm sitting in front of my iMac.

Consider this one fact that is just indispensable and incomparable: with ONE click, or ONE motion I can invoke Dashboard instantly. I don't have to LAUNCH anything. There are no bounces and no spinning balls like when I launch an application. Click one button on my mouse (as I have it configured) - or hit the corner of the screen - and BOOM, there is Dashboard in all its glory, pretty much instantaneously. NOTHING compares to that speed.

And look at the riches! I have a Calculator on Dashboard I can use instantly. If I tried to launch the OS X calculator from the dock, it would bounce before it appeared. Dashboard is instant: BOOM, my calculator. Same for all the little widgets I use constantly: Converter, DeliveryStatus (to check on my packages), iStatPro (to check on various computer related data such as hard drive space in various external drives, temperature, network activity, memory etc., etc.,), Weather, Calendar, Contacts, and as another user said Notes (in my case k-notes), which are arranged with various pieces of info, I have instant access to, Clock/Timer, and a whole bunch others.

I mean, I use these widgets ALL THE TIME. I constantly check this or that, and I love having it all displayed across the screen in familiar positions, all invoked SUPER FAST by one single click of the keyboard or mouse or flick of the mouse.

It's unbeatable for speed and convenience.

I hate to imagine what a massive drop in quality of experience it would be for Apple to get rid of Dashboard.

Can anyone point out for me what else is MORE convenient than Dashboard widgets instantly invoked? Certainly not any apps that are launched, which feel positively medieval. It's faster than launching any iOS apps on the iPhone/iPad/iTouch or what not. It's the fastest most convenient thing ever. HANDS DOWN.

DASHBOARD FOR THE WIN!!!!!!

Without ever leaving the App I'm using I can always launch Dashboard "over" the screen and take notes, check stats and system parameters, get contacts info and check for appointments.
Notification center isn't that smart.

Can you guys tell me which apps don't let Notification Center slide in from the left without leaving the app? It works fine in Safari, Mail, Pixelmator, others. It's a single swipe that gives access to widgets like Agenda, Weather and even iStat. Am I missing something?
 

zauriel

macrumors member
Apr 28, 2007
38
24
Nixa, MO
Just found out you can download third party widgets for Notification Center in the App Store... What's the point of Dashboard again?

It's all about the real estate. Slim sidebar that restricts the size of widgets and requires you to scroll to get to the widget you want? Or full-screen overlay where you can place anything anywhere you want, of any size? The latter is the superior option.
 
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fedux

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2013
21
20
Can you guys tell me which apps don't let Notification Center slide in from the left without leaving the app? It works fine in Safari, Mail, Pixelmator, others. It's a single swipe that gives access to widgets like Agenda, Weather and even iStat. Am I missing something?

I really don't understand if you're playing the "devil's lawyer" part or if you're serious... Can you tell me what is the difference between using a slice of your screen instead ALL of it for running whatever tool you need?
With Dashboard you have, at a glance and on ALL your screen, your set of widgets, organized in whatever position you prefer. In notification center you have a small column you need to slide up or down even to pass from one widget to another one!
Maybe you prefer that but I'd rather think you've never tried Dashboard before.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,748
5,122
The Netherlands
I really don't understand if you're playing the "devil's lawyer" part or if you're serious... Can you tell me what is the difference between using a slice of your screen instead ALL of it for running whatever tool you need?
With Dashboard you have, at a glance and on ALL your screen, your set of widgets, organized in whatever position you prefer. In notification center you have a small column you need to slide up or down even to pass from one widget to another one!
Maybe you prefer that but I'd rather think you've never tried Dashboard before.

I've been using OS X since Leopard, so I have used Dashboard and I used to love the little gadgets. Sure, I get that it's more flexible in ordering your widgets, but I have no problem using the single column Notification Center when I place the widgets in the right order.

Maybe it's because I use a 27" screen were I can see three widgets at once which is enough for me? I like how you can still see a big part of the screen.

Look, I get that you like Dashboard and are not excited about change, but I'm just looking for ways too make the most of the new situation.
 
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Carlanga

macrumors 604
Nov 5, 2009
7,132
1,409
Just found out you can download third party widgets for Notification Center in the App Store... What's the point of Dashboard again?
I hate Notification Center I don't use it. Much faster using the widgets on a transparent dashboard and current window is not affected. But yes Apple wants you to move from dashboard to Notification Center ever since it came out, but for me Dashboard still wins.

I may have come early to the mac party, because I never got the widgets wagon and missed the wave entirely.
You mean late :) if your Mac had notification center then you were already too late to know them for everyday use.
[doublepost=1474515644][/doublepost]
I totally agree on every word you wrote! I use Dashboard continuously, I have the old and beautiful iStat nano, an URL shrinker, the contacts finder, and the converter. I really don't know how it could be better than this... Every time I need to take a fast note I simply launch Dashboard (bottom left corner, with active corners) and, at a glance, I have everything I need; and there's no need to even leave a fullscreen application, Dashboard simply runs over it.
Apple, don't you dare removing it! Delete notification widgets instead... They are useless, pointless and even a Windows gadgets copy...!!! Steve, come back!!!
I remember the sticky pad. Love them at that time. Had a bunch stacked slightly off each other. Wish someone would create a notes app widget for the dashboard to put new notes. That would be amazing. I stopped using the sticky pads because I like the iCloud integration in the notes app.
 
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OldCorpse

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2005
1,758
347
compost heap
Can you guys tell me which apps don't let Notification Center slide in from the left without leaving the app? It works fine in Safari, Mail, Pixelmator, others. It's a single swipe that gives access to widgets like Agenda, Weather and even iStat. Am I missing something?

Whew, where to even begin... first of all, I like to have the whole real estate of the screen available to me, not just a sliver of the screen - I can fit a ton more, especially notes with important info I need to access immediately. Second, I like to arrange the widgets in such a way that their positions are fixed in places that I remember, that way I can at one glance see the info I need - instead of them all being forcibly arranged one below the other in a column. Third, I really liked the choice of tons of excellent and free widgets in Dashboard, instead of the paltry choices, most paid or in-purchase, and not very good at that, for the Notification Center. Dashboard feels full-fledged, whereas Notification Center seems crippled and a pale imitation of some of the functionality. Instead of going forward, it feels like Notification Center is a significant downgrade and regression of Dashboard.

I agree that Dashboard seems on the way out - Apple is not updating it in any way, the widget scene lacks developer involvement, it just seems like it's marking time before it dies. Notification Center - if that's supposed to be a substitute, I must say it's a very poor one and very inferior. They're going backwards in functionality. What a shame.
 

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,828
1,591
Colorado
For me, iWeb was replaced by Adobe Muse which is far superior in many ways. Dashboard is sort-of replaced by the Notifaction center which swipes in from the right, iPods have been replaced by iPhones and the Watch.

It's not exactly the same, but I do believe the changes are inevitable in the quickly changing world of technology. Dashboard isn't quite as big a deal though.

I disagree. Dashboard gives an overall glance at widgets and I can access it by pressing one button on my mouse. Notification center is more of a pain to access.
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,614
8,546
Hong Kong
IMO, one of the main difference between notification centre and Widgets is that you can put the widgets on your desktop. Just open dashboard, click and hold the widget, and use F4 to go back to desktop, and now your widget is on the desktop. So, you can work with the widget always with you.
 
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