That's an interesting point, and thanks for the key-combo (I didn't know that). But what I like about being able to see the dock is that I often randomly notic

That's an interesting point, and thanks for the key-combo (I didn't know that). But what I like about being able to see the dock is that I often randomly notice that too many apps are running, without specifically looking for it. It's sort of like when you notice the task-bar getting cluttered with windows in Windows... I probably won't remember to hit a button to see how many apps are running, but occasionally I'll just notice the clutter.