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uBar 1.0.6

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(3) 4

A Start Menu-like task bar for your Mac. Shareware ($15)

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7.9 MB
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BrawerSoft

uBar... Finally a task bar for the Mac. If you've never really liked the Dock, or have always wanted that one thing that Windows does right, uBar is here to save the day. Finaly Mac users have task bar parity with Windows users.

Switching from Windows to Mac? uBar is perfect for ensuring a smooth transition from the Windows world to the Mac.

Active development. uBar is actively developed and many future enhancements and upgrades are planned for the future.

Try it out, you can download uBar and try it out at no cost.

What's New

Version 1.0.6:

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Custom menu title

Requirements
PPC / Intel, Mac OS X 10.5 or later.

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uBar User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 1.x:

(3)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(3)

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+15

No-One reviewed on 11 Nov 2010

As a long time mac user I have always hated one thing about the mac: the dock. The mac dock is cumbersome, always in the way, and I can't access my files through it without going through finder. Enter ubar, my favorite solution for the dock. ubar not only looks great, but it always me to have a start menu (that I can add to).

I have full intentions of buying this app once a couple of bugs are fixed. For one, sometimes when I start my computer ubar doesn't load, and I am left with a blank portion of my screen. Second, whenever I log out of the computer it takes forever for ubar to appear again at the bottom of the screen. I would also like it if I was able to make ubar black, as the translucent and white colors clash with the menubar.

Besides those bug fixes, I do think that ubar is the best alternative to the dock.

[Version 1.0.6]

1 Reply

+15

No-One replied on 11 Nov 2010

Oh, I also had another complaint. When you press the minimize button on any window (firefox for instances) ubar still leaves that application highlighted. This makes it extremely frustrating because when I press firefox again, I have to select finder and then firefox to have it open back up the window. Hope this makes sense.

+186

PorkPieHat commented on 11 Oct 2010

Well, I no longer love it (see previous obsequious post below). Today, for absolutely no reason and while my iMac was just sitting there with no input occurring at all, suddenly one of my Core2Duo processors cranked up to 100% and stayed there. So I sidled up to it, opened Activity Monitor and discovered that the uBarAgent was freaking out for no obvious reason (OS 10.4.6, 2.16 GHz iMac with 2 GB RAM). I killed the uBarAgent process and opened its annoyingly 32-bit System Pref, them clicked OFF, which brought that damned uBarAgent process back to life! So I sat and watched it for around 8 minutes to see what happened, but it did nothing more than chug 100% of only one of my processor cores for all that time, so I had to kill the process 2 more times to get it to turn off. When I restarted the iMac the damned thing was cranking away again, so I nuked it forever. Good freakin' riddance. I should have know better than to 1) try to replicate a Windows function on a Mac, and 2) use a 32-bit System Preference when EVERYTHING else on my iMac was 64. I know that probably had no effect whatsoever and wasn't to blame for this freakout, but somebody needed to kick this dev in his 32-bit backside, even if only to see if s/he is still alive.

[Version 1.0.6]

+14

Macericg commented on 28 Sep 2010

I like uBar. I hate to say it, but the one thing missing on the Mac is a task bar, and the Dock just doesn't cut it sometimes. uBar has great potential.

As mentioned in other reviews, I would like to see windows and lists appear above clicked items in the bar - not to the side. Also, the Start Menu needs the ability to be customized (especially with sub menus for categories) - which looks like it is coming in a future version.

Finally, to be a true replacement for the Dock, it needs to have the Trash Can on the bar itself in some way.

Good work. Looking for your next update.

[Version 1.0.6]

1 Reply

+15

No-One replied on 11 Nov 2010

I agree with you, having a trash can on ubar would be very useful for me. Thanks, I never thought of that.

-1

+186

PorkPieHat commented on 21 Sep 2010

I love it! But, it has one small problem that annoys me: The Preference Pane is still 32-bit. I understand that rewriting it as a 64-bit app will probably NOT make it run any more than 10% faster (if that), but that's not why I want it to be 64-bit. I just think it's annoying when any 32-bit preference pane forces System Preferences to close and restart in 32-bit mode, which will have to close and restart again as soon as I want to use any of the other preference panes - which are ALL 64-bit, including the other 3rd party prefpanes (nudge nudge, wink wink).

[Version 1.0.6]

Shn commented on 06 Dec 2009

It's an OK start but there are some things preventing me switching to it from Fantasktik:

1. I really don't like having my windows grouped into a single button, I prefer to see them all. I hated grouping on old versions of Windows and I hate the new grouping on Windows 7, but they can be turned off. I'd love to see an option to show each window separately.

2. If you are going to have the windows grouped having to click twice to change windows is very annoying, why not just have it open the window list when your cursor is hovering over the button (I'd suggest an adjustable delay before it pops up).

3. Also, it's total madness to have to click twice to switch to an application that only has one window, once to show a list with that single window and again to switch to it!?

4. I only be seem to be able to switch to the last-used window of any application. No matter which window I select it makes the last-used window appear. Clicking a different window of the application of the window with focus does literally nothing.

5. I'd like to be able to not display some applications, I don't have much use for showing Quicksilver in the bar for instance, which brings me to the next point.

6. There seems to be some character set support problem, take a look at this screenshot: http://herecomethelizards.co.uk/s/pKejp

I'd love to be able to switch to this because to be honest Fantasktik is buggy as hell and there hasn't been an update to it for 6 months, but at the moment I just don't think uBar's interface is quite right.

[Version 1.0.6]

+89

Mac007 reviewed on 06 Oct 2009

Not a bad application but needs a few things to make it even better.

1. The menu bar should be more centered over the uBar Apple menu so it looks like a regular menu.

2. There should be a way to add frequently used applications to uBar Apple menu. (e.g. calculator)

3. 'Show Quick Launch Items' button when pressed does nothing as does 'Show Start Menu Items' button. I presume this is something the developer is working on.

4. An easier way to widen task bar would be nice plus the ability to place task bar on top as well as bottom of screen.

[Version 1.0.6]

+68

macsterdam commented on 13 Sep 2009

A very promising start. There's plenty room room for improvement, but I like where this is going. Keep up the good work.

[Version 1.0.4]

1 Reply

BrawerSoft (developer) replied on 13 Sep 2009

Thanks! I just updated it to v1.0.5 which includes a great new feature: the ability to see window thumbnails/previews for Apps.

+270

easer commented on 09 Sep 2009

I'm not unappreciative of the developer's efforts, but I think those who are interested should also check out Fantasktik.

http://search.macupdate.com/info.php/id/28378/fantasktik

From what I can tell, the latter does what uBar does, plus it has a lot of other features such as graphic previews of windows, resize capabilities, exclusion of applications, etc.

[Version 1.0.4]

2 Replies

+65

MrChips replied on 09 Sep 2009

I bought and have used fantasktik. It's a good app with a responsive developer and is, as you've said, similar in function to uBar with some extra features. I stopped using it, however, because it sort of "gets in the way" since it sits just below the menu bar at the top of the screen. The window previews would jump out when all I wanted was to select a menu bar item. I also don't think it can be made "double-decker" (two or more rows) like uBar can. I have six "spaces" and keep lots of windows open all the time, going back-and-forth between different work spaces. Fantasktik had trouble showing all those window references (they'd get too "crushed together"), while uBar only shows one reference when you have multiple windows open for the same app. uBar will show the "parent" reference (like Safari) with a number at the left to show how many windows are "owned" by that parent. Clicking the "button" will display the individual window names and you can just mouse and click on the window you want. If the window is in a different "space" uBar can switch you to that space, too.

So, I just kind of like the implementation better. Not to mention that you can "Quick Launch" your most-used apps easily, too.

But fantasktik does have the edge when it comes to being able to preview a window before selecting it. It is a very nice program and I'm sure some of the issues I've mentioned will be addressed in the future. It's so nice to have choices! :)

+65

MrChips replied on 09 Sep 2009

Alright, I'm an idiot. I went back to fantasktik to re-familiarize myself with it. Either it's been updated since I last used it or I've forgotten some important points, but it is better than I remembered. For one thing, I can put it at the bottom of the screen instead of the top. And I can turn off window previews if I want (but at the bottom it's not so obtrusive). It also displays multiple windows, although they're side-by-side and do take up more space. And I still can't see how I can have a "double-decker" arrangement of window references, which might become an issue with window name legibility if I have a lot of apps/windows open.

Another thing in fantasktik's favor - I can put it in either monitor's screen, so it can be really out of the way if that's what I want.

I do vaguely remember it being somewhat of a memory hog. But I suspect that's also true of uBar, so maybe that's a push.

Definitely more to think about here... But I still like the fact that we have some choices!

+65

MrChips reviewed on 06 Sep 2009

I've been watching uBar's progress over the last couple of weeks (since 1.0 came out). I must say I'm impressed with what this developer has been able to do in that short time. I've spent a little time talking with him and have great expectations for the future of this little gem of an app. I like the way it combines aspects of the dock and other third-party programs to provide an easy way to launch and access programs in whatever space they're in. The developer is eager and open to all suggestions for new features - and what he has planned already will make this a truly great tool.

For those who love the dock, fine. It is a reasonable way to implement program access. But uBar is another, and I think in some aspects superior, way. But to each their own...

Try it, you might just like it! ;-)

[Version 1.0.3]

+13

tingting commented on 06 Sep 2009

This is really nice. I'm not much of a dock fan. And in my Boot Camp windows I do enjoy the taskbar to see what is open and to switch easily. It's cool to have it as a possibility on a mac. I'd like options for colors, transparency, and size in the future. But even as it is I think the look, size, and function is still excellent.

[Version 1.0.3]

1 Reply