Ever wanted a Max OS like dock on your desktop rather than the dull start menu? Well, it that is the case, then Objectdock is a good answer for that. There are many applications that are floating around, but I have found Objectdock to work the best. I will write about Rocketdock and RKLauncher some other time as I don’t use these often. This sort of an organization gives you better control over the applications and also de-clutters the desktop.
I have been using Objectdock for quite a few months now and whomever I have introduced it to have liked it. It has a slick interface, zoom effects, nice visual appearance, ability to hide off the screen when not in use etc.
Installation
Download the software from Stardock’s website (end of the post has details for download). The on-screen instructions during installation are simple and suffice for the installation process. Once you are done with the installation, launch the application thru’ the start menu or quick launch. (Well, you have to use the start menu at this stage. 
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You will see a application launched which is similar in appearance to the picture above. Voila, you have launched Objectdock and you can slowly start forgetting about the Start Menu.
Configuration
If you use the standard Microsoft applications, then you might not need much configuration to Objectdock. However, if you use applications that are not part of a standard Desktop PC (Windows + Office), then a little bit of configuration is required while adding shortcuts. (Right click on the dock-> Add-> New Shortcut)
A few others things which might be of interest are:
- Positioning: You can choose where you want the dock to exist (or hide). I prefer having the dock on the Top of the screen rather than on the bottom. You can also configure the dock to “Hide off the screen when not in use”.
- Effects: You can configure the icons to have a Zoom effect when you move the mouse over them. Personally, I feel this is quite an distraction, but if you like it then you will see a screen like this
Objectdock comes bundled with some docklets and you can also add your own. If also has a Startmenu launcher, in case you want to have the Startmenu access from the dock.
A couple of other configurations that might be useful:
- Choose the dock to display currently running applications (In the configuration window, choose the Dock Contents option and then check the appropriate button).
- You can choose the magnification size of the icon (if you are using the Zoom effect).
It consumes about 5MB of memory when it is in idle state and around 6.5MB of memory when it is invoked.
Overall, this is a good tool to have if you are tired of the start menu or have a cluttered desktop with application shortcuts all over the place.
Download Objectdock (free version) (Size: 12MB Latest version: v1.9)
