ObjectDock

With ObjectDock installed on your machine you have an easy means of accessing your favorite applications and files: a good looking dock onto which you can pin applications, files, a clock, even a handy search tool. So forget about the traditional Start menu or the taskbar and start using ObjectDock instead. It combines much needed functionality with good looks and ease of use, and that’s definitely a winning combination.

The ObjectDock installation file is 20.4MB. Run the file and a standard setup wizard will show up. Downloading the setup file and clicking through the setup wizard is a straightforward process that will take little of your time. You’ll go through it without any problems.

When you launch ObjectDock, a dock will show up in the bottom of your screen. That’s the default position, you can change it if you want to. You can set it up so the dock stays to the left, to the right, or at the top. Also by default, the dock is populated with the shortcuts you have on your taskbar, a weather docklet that needs setting up, the Recycle bin, and a clock. And keeping with the default theme we’ve got going on, the dock displays all running applications by default. If the running application is already on the dock, an arrow will show up next to it; if it isn’t on the dock, it will be added and then removed when you close the application.

You can change the order of the icons you see on the dock, you can remove the icons you don’t want, you can set it up so running applications are not added to the dock, and you can add new icons. When I say “new icons” I mean you can add new docklets (like a handy search tool that’s set to MSN by default, but you can change it to Google without any problems) and new shortcuts. Right click the dock -> Settings -> Add -> pick if you want to add a docklet or a shortcut. Or even simpler, drag and drop a shortcut onto ObjectDock.

You can further customize the dock by adjusting its size, by enabling/disabling the zoom, bubble, swing, and glow effect, and by changing the background.

The downside is that by using the free application ObjectDock you are stuck with just one dock. You can customize it extensively, but you cannot create more than one. That is something you can do with the paid version, ObjectDock Plus. You can create more than one dock, you can have more than one dock on the screen, and you can create a type of dock that’s not available in the free version: tabbed dock.

With ObjectDock installed on your machine, you will hardly need the taskbar. That's probably the reason why ObjectDock comes with a setting to hide it.

ObjectDock is free for non commercial use. There is also a paid version called ObjectDock Plus, which comes with a bit of extra functionality.

As far as application launchers are concerned, ObjectDock is at the top of the list. It provides a handy, customizable dock from which you can launch applications, add shortcuts to your files, and add useful docklets.