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Hmm, I remember a little strip that would sit in a bottom corner collapsed. You would push it and it would expand like a toolbar, showing app buttons similar t

Hmm, I remember a little strip that would sit in a bottom corner collapsed. You would push it and it would expand like a toolbar, showing app buttons similar to a dock. Think it was around System 8 time, as it had purple/blue and gray bevels. Ring any bells? Edit: Yup, thanks, guess it wasn't apps after all. Though it probably could have included them.

duskwuff 4y ago
That was the Control Strip, but the objects in it represented system features (like screen brightness, battery life, or audio volume), not running applications. It was a fairly weird feature, IMO. It was initially added for laptops, but somehow ended up on desktop systems as well, and had a couple of bizarre features added to it later on, like the ability to enable/disable file sharing or control iTunes.
- rvense 4y ago
  It was kind of like that system tray thing in Windows, wasn't it? I think it was mostly functionality you'd otherwise have in control panels, but I've always hated the Control Strip myself - how often do you really need to change your screen resolution? It was extensible, though, there were many 3rd party control strip modules that did all sorts of things.
  - duskwuff 4y ago
    > It was kind of like that system tray thing in Windows, wasn't it? Kind of. Icons in the system tray in Windows were still representing running processes, though; the Control Strip used a plugin system specific to it.
Lammy 4y ago
You're likely thinking of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Strip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Strip There are "springloaded" folder tabs as of Mac OS 8.0, originally planned as a Copland feature, triggered by dragging any Finder window into the bottom edge of the screen. As of Mac OS 8.5 it is also possible to drag the application menu out into a floating palette that can be rearranged by clicking its zoom box while holding various modifier keys. One of the combinations bears a striking resemblance to the Windows 95 taskbar :) Here's a photo of me using all three at once on my TAM if it helps jog your memory: https://i.imgur.com/sVVbMun.jpg https://i.imgur.com/sVVbMun.jpg edit: Almost forgot about At Ease which I personally never really used but does fit your description of having app buttons and being purple: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Ease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Ease

duskwuff 4y ago

That was the Control Strip, but the objects in it represented system features (like screen brightness, battery life, or audio volume), not running applications. It was a fairly weird feature, IMO. It was initially added for laptops, but somehow ended up on desktop systems as well, and had a couple of bizarre features added to it later on, like the ability to enable/disable file sharing or control iTunes.

rvense 4y ago
It was kind of like that system tray thing in Windows, wasn't it? I think it was mostly functionality you'd otherwise have in control panels, but I've always hated the Control Strip myself - how often do you really need to change your screen resolution? It was extensible, though, there were many 3rd party control strip modules that did all sorts of things.
- duskwuff 4y ago
  > It was kind of like that system tray thing in Windows, wasn't it? Kind of. Icons in the system tray in Windows were still representing running processes, though; the Control Strip used a plugin system specific to it.

Lammy 4y ago

You're likely thinking of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Strip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Strip There are "springloaded" folder tabs as of Mac OS 8.0, originally planned as a Copland feature, triggered by dragging any Finder window into the bottom edge of the screen. As of Mac OS 8.5 it is also possible to drag the application menu out into a floating palette that can be rearranged by clicking its zoom box while holding various modifier keys. One of the combinations bears a striking resemblance to the Windows 95 taskbar :) Here's a photo of me using all three at once on my TAM if it helps jog your memory: https://i.imgur.com/sVVbMun.jpg https://i.imgur.com/sVVbMun.jpg edit: Almost forgot about At Ease which I personally never really used but does fit your description of having app buttons and being purple: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Ease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Ease