Chapter 3. Exploring the Dock

Along one edge of your screen (either the bottom, left, or right) is a colorful banner of icons known as the Dock. The Dock, shown in its default state in Figure 3.1, acts as a taskbar, to show open applications and minimized or reduced versions of a document window. It also offers quick access to favorite applications, shows feedback from open applications, and provides a resting place for the Trash.

The Dock is useful for organizing your desktop.

Figure 3.1. The Dock is useful for organizing your desktop.

Here’s a fast overview of the Dock’s arrangement:

  • Left (or Top) portion—At left (or top) are icons for applications. The ones you’ve opened have a triangle next ...

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