I'm DragThing user from few years. Because of DragThing will not be available for macOS 10.15, I started to search a replacement. Recently I found iCollections and gave it a try. It imported all my docks and layers from DragThing! I also found it look more modern than DragThing. It is 64bit app, so will work on future macOS versions. I think iCollections has more config options and integrates better with macOS. Also must mention prompt support answers. Highly recommend as DragThing upgrade.
For everyone lamenting the demise of DT and looking for a replacement; check out TabLauncher. It's pretty much the same thing, and there is a free Lite version. It's on the Mac App Store.
I have been using DragThing every since the late 90s... even with SpotLight andLaunchPad, I use DragThing almost daily. Sad to see it go, but happy I found a replacement.
I'm DragThing user from few years. Because of DragThing will not be available for macOS 10.15, I started to search a replacement. Recently I found iCollections and gave it a try. It imported all my docks and layers from DragThing! I also found it look more modern than DragThing. It is 64bit app, so will work on future macOS versions. I think iCollections has more config options and integrates better with macOS. Also must mention prompt support answers. Highly recommend as DragThing upgrade.
I cannot believe that Dragthing works in Mojave 10.14.5. Just got a new iMac 27" i9 and didn't think it would work. But much to my surprise it did. Had to reconnect a few icons but no biggie. No glitches yet. Very happy it works. Been using it for many, many years and 3 Mac's (probably 20 years). I don't think it will work with Catalina OS. But I didn't think it would work in Mojave OS. LOL I have also loaded up Overflow 2.5.9 just in case Dragthing comes crashing down.
Dragthing will be miss, I have it since ever? . I have tried so many apps to be ready when it will not work any longer but no luck. The only solution I found and it works pretty well, is to create two folders, one for the alias of the apps that were in Dragthing and one for the folders I use that were in a different drawer. I put the two folders in the dock (you can keep the original where is more convenient for you), and even changed the icon that looks like Dragthing but with different color, for the Apps folder. If you option click the folders in the dock, I chose Sort by Name, Display as Folder and View content as Automatic.This way both folders work similar to Dragthing: just one click and the folder displays its content, another click and I open what I need. The only thing I couldn't find yet is how to replace the sounds that I love so much. But for now it's a good replacement, free and easy to do.
As a long-time very happy user of DragThing I am sad to hear that it will not be updated to work with future 64-bit-only MacOS’s. I have created Palettes using Keyboard Maestro. They are not anywhere as powerful and customizable as DragThing’s toobars, but they do work well. I will probably start replacing my DT toolbars with KM’s palettes in preparation for the late 2019 MacOS that will break DT. Thanks for the many years of outstanding service!! Note that DT is now a free download on the DT website.
For the first time in many years, James Thomson cracked and failed to release an update for the new OS release (High Sierra in this case). It is now clear that DragThing is deprecated. And Jame's own word supports this observation. DragThing developer discussed the current state of DragThing in the following podcast clip. Check it out at the 36:10 mark, especially after 36:38 mark.
He openly admits that he does not even have a development environment set up to work on updating DragThing for the latest OS. He also openly admits that he has not found enough incentive to put more effort into DragThing. Considering how much effort he will need to put into modernizing DragThing (6 months to a year), and the current state of the Mac app market (people are pretty much settled on Apple's default Dock, plus advanced users have settled on using a keyboard-based launcher such as LaunchBar, Alfred, and even Spotlight), it is extremely likely that he will eventually drop it altogether. Nearly all his revenue nowadays comes from PCalc, and there is not enough money to be made for DragThing.
Check out PCalc. It's far more useful than DragThing at this point albeit for a completely different purpose. James Thomson is an exceptional software developer!
It's still working in my High Sierra iMac. The only problem (since installing High Sierra) is that some icons have strange colorings and when launching the specific file the icons return to normal
As a long-time user and paying customer, I think it's absolute bull**** that the developer still has not fixed the option to disable DragThing's icon in the main dock. It has been YEARS since he said he would get it done.
A nice and venerable app, but just a look at the Version History page tells you that no consistent improvement has been made for the last decade! :-o
For example, an option to make a single drawer visible when moving mouse to a screen corner would be fantastic! (there's one option but it acts on all drawers...)
An option to see the content of folders with just a click, and then to keep seeing other elements' content without having to click again (as in MaxMenus or Application Wizard) would be awesome!
In fact, to do everything I want, I still have to use MaxMenus (for corners menus — still working in OS 10.9), FinderPop (for menu bar empty area — as it doesn't work any more in MaxMenus), Application Wizard (to fire up an in-position menu with a shortcut, for my applications — sorted in subfolders) AND DragThing (for Active Apps drawer and other things) while only one app could do all those things together... :-/
In my opinion, DragThing was the best candidate to sum up all those things but I've no hope to see it some day...
I have only good things to say about the DragThing developer. DragThing also has sentimental value for long-time Mac users.
However, it has become apparent that the developer hasn't found enough incentive to put more effort into this utility and that he is far more interested in developing PCalc on iOS.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to what the DragThing developer has to say about DragThing, at 36:10, especially after 36:38 mark.
https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/tmo-background-mode-interview-tla-systems-founder-james-thomson/
Personally, I have moved on. I just make good use of the Dock, Spotlight, and LaunchPad on OS X, and I found that not having DragThing wasn't a big deal. No need to worry about my workflow affected by whatever some indie developer feel like doing. No need to tinker with additional utilities. The less software to maintain, the better.
Can't say I use this app very often, it's rather useful when it comes to some period of work or during performing a project. I evaluated this launcher while writing the article. It was very convenient to customize browsers, dictionaries other writing tools during a week of work. It saved me much time. Although I'm not using the app anymore, it left very positive impression for me.
I have nothing to say against the performance and the credibility of this application. It functions like a charm with any System configuration you work with. My only complaint is the old interface that doesn’t match the new standards on our Macs. I for example use an iMac 5K and DragThing looks very outdated if not ugly. Hope the developer would consider polishing the surface of this app as well because under the hood it works great. Thanks.
It's a wonderful piece of software which I use since Mac OS 9! And I think it's a big help for everyone and in every OS X! Always updated if a new OS is appearing. A big 'thank you' to the developer!
I've been using DragThing since OS 9 days, and this was the first app that followed me over to my OS X partition back in 2000!
It's also the first piece of shareware I actually paid for. I use it daily. :)
Downloaded 5.9.15 and it installs with a circle and bar through it and double-clicking I get the message that I can't open it because "Power PC applications are no longer supported." I downloaded 5.9.15 from both MU and the author's website and I get the same error with either download.
I love DragThing. I've used it for almost as long as the app has been available. It is one of the few applications that I consider to be essential for all of my Macs.
A comment on the text on the DragThings What's New page that indicates that John Siracusa was the one that pushed enough to allow the developer to get this most recent update of DragThing update out the door. That's just low.
Has there not been enough requests and/or wishes that DragThing got updated to meet the enhancements to the UI in Yosemite and El Capitan - by not John Siracusa. I think so.
It's a sickness. If it's a donation thing - was it a large enough amount donated to the author that allowed for this update. Give credit to all - not individuals. As it is my clear belief just by reading reviews and comments here and on the DragThing forum that people are quite fond of the application and want to see it enter the realm of 10.10 and beyond.
Additional rants and praises.
+ Updating DragThing
- Doing it half: · Rendering of the font is not the System Font on El Capitan by looking at the heavy shadow on the first launch and the trash can placed on the desktop.
· Not updating the Preferences(font and toolbar) to be @2x compatible in this day and age of many more Retina screens.
· Not updating the wallpaper in the DragThing Preferences to be Yosemite or El Capitan related; why not pull in a Stock photo then instead of an ancient Snow Leopard? wallpaper. edit: (I get that it's a compatibility update and not a direct successor to DragThing for El Capitan and beyond)
By that said - give it up already. I too waited for an update but this is just low.
This software is the first Mac utility I've ever purchased, and after many years of using it, there is nothing else like it, making it indispensable even with the emergence of other launcher utilities such as LaunchBar. I use LaunchBar, but I also use DragThing as a way to bulk-launch a group of applications with a single click, bulk-quit them with a single click, and quit and relaunch anything registered as a Login Item (background apps that don't show up in Apple Dock). I can also keep Apple Dock manageable by off-loading many icons to DragThing, and so on. Furthermore, it allows me to use the screen edges very effectively (Fitt's Law: they are the fastest place to get to with a swipe of my mouse), and it is very configurable. It's a very useful utility application that's under-appreciated.
There are only 2 apps I've used longer than DragThing: Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I've been moving away from using those for the last year, as some very good alternatives are out not, but I have not found a better alternative to DragThing. The Mac Dock itself isn't that bad, but still doesn't do things that I've become accustomed to DragThing doing, such as bringing all of an app's windows to the front when clicking on the app. This was a basic feature of OS 9 that I sorely miss in OS X. I would say it's probably the primary reason I install DragThing on OS X now.
I didn't expect to see this update - thought it was another of my favorite Mac apps where the developer had moved on (must have missed 5.9.13). Anyway, I'm glad to see it's still being updated.
Like others here, I've been using DragThing almost from the beginning. It was originally designed, I believe, to be a more powerful version of the Launcher in the early Mac OS. It has evolved over the years but still does the job for me. There are now many other launcher apps with all sorts of bells and whistles. But I've found no need to switch. DragThing has always had a flexible interface that you can customize to your heart's content. As for making it more like the Notification Center or LaunchPad, yuck! It's fine as it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Thanks for the update James, I seem to remember hearing it was no longer being updated but I am glad for this, I actually had no problems with El Cap but updated anyway. There are still many addons that I could not do without and this is definitely one of the top ten. Still makes it so easy to find stuff and then it just pops out of the way. Cheers
Too bad it's not been revamped/modernized (so many things could be done.. make it feel like the Notifications Center for example or like the OS LAunchpad... etc etc) and no Retina graphics.?! In 2016.. Oh well.. I have not used to for so long. I have a soft spot for it but no real need.
Very happy for this update, even before really using it. I have been using DT since the beginning of it (was it 1996? something like that) without any problem at all except after the advent of El Capitan (several problems). Now I am sure everything has been fixed. Happy
I have been using Dragthing since, like 1996. Wow. The only program I have used that long.
Still love it. I have had only a few minor problems in all those years and that support fixed within hours after contacting James Thomson. Great support to say the least.
I am using it on El Capitan 10.11.3 now and still happy.
Thanks
J'utilise DragThing depuis plus de 15 ans (à l'époque c'était sur Mac OS 7.x.x) ; fonctionne toujours parfaitement pour moi sous El Capitan. Parfait complément au dock, évite de surcharger celui-ci.
I've used this software for years now, however I'm finding that it now periodically bombs with an error -600 and asks me to delete the preferences for it. This is troubling and needs a fix (in 10.9.5).
I used to love this app, but I'm also having problems with it on 10.10.5, which doesn't give me much hope for its utility on El Capitan. Looking for a comparable replacement.
This app is one of my favourite and it's still working with Yosemite even if it has not been updated since a while...let's hope it will continue to work
I cannot find a decent replacement
This app is a long time favourite and it's still working ok with 10.9.5 but I've recently noticed that, sometimes, Safari doesn't appear in the Active Apps drawer.
The dev is still active on Twitter but from what he posts, he doesn't seem to care about this app any more... ;-)
Utilisateur de la première heure de cet excellent utilitaire, DragThing n'est malheureusement plus mis à jour et, de fait, fonctionne de moins en moins bien. Je me vois donc contraint de le désactiver… à grand regret :-/
Developer made no effort to contact me regarding problem with Disk Dock, despite posts here and email sent directly to developer. I believe this app is DEAD and no longer supported.
Long time user. Disk dock no longer works properly in Yosemite. Causing machine slow down. Had to remove. Have used for many, many years...very disappointed that it has not been updated.
Long time user. Disk dock no longer works properly in Yosemite. Causing machine slow down. Had to remove. Have used for many, many years...very disappointed that it has not been updated.
I bought this long ago, but stopped using it. I just downloaded it again and set it up. Works great I love it. I'm glad I re-installed this again. It works great in Yosemite, so there's no reason not to use it!
I just updated to 10.9.5 and Dragthing is constantly having a problem with certain application icons that keep appearing in the dock as a "!?" instead of a proper button.
This needs a fix.
I've been using DragThing for several years. It has just the right feature set for my needs. I have dozens of development tools organized by their function in different DragThing layers, making them easy to find even when I can't immediately remember an app's precise name. In all these years, I only once had a problem and the developer worked with me to resolve it quickly. DragThing is an outstanding tool and well worth the price. Highly recommended.
Been using the app for years. I love it. It does what I need (and a lot more). It is always one of the first applications that I install on a new computer. The developer has continually provided updates (any developer that continues to support and update there product for 19 years has my thanks and respect. Oh, did I mention, a lot of those update were free!
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I don't think it will work with Catalina OS. But I didn't think it would work in Mojave OS. LOL
I have also loaded up Overflow 2.5.9 just in case Dragthing comes crashing down.
Note that DT is now a free download on the DT website.
https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/tmo-background-mode-interview-tla-systems-founder-james-thomson/
He openly admits that he does not even have a development environment set up to work on updating DragThing for the latest OS. He also openly admits that he has not found enough incentive to put more effort into DragThing. Considering how much effort he will need to put into modernizing DragThing (6 months to a year), and the current state of the Mac app market (people are pretty much settled on Apple's default Dock, plus advanced users have settled on using a keyboard-based launcher such as LaunchBar, Alfred, and even Spotlight), it is extremely likely that he will eventually drop it altogether. Nearly all his revenue nowadays comes from PCalc, and there is not enough money to be made for DragThing.
Check out PCalc. It's far more useful than DragThing at this point albeit for a completely different purpose. James Thomson is an exceptional software developer!
Has there not been enough requests and/or wishes that DragThing got updated to meet the enhancements to the UI in Yosemite and El Capitan - by not John Siracusa. I think so.
It's a sickness. If it's a donation thing - was it a large enough amount donated to the author that allowed for this update. Give credit to all - not individuals. As it is my clear belief just by reading reviews and comments here and on the DragThing forum that people are quite fond of the application and want to see it enter the realm of 10.10 and beyond.
Additional rants and praises.
+ Updating DragThing
- Doing it half:
· Rendering of the font is not the System Font on El Capitan by looking at the heavy shadow on the first launch and the trash can placed on the desktop.
· Not updating the Preferences(font and toolbar) to be @2x compatible in this day and age of many more Retina screens.
· Not updating the wallpaper in the DragThing Preferences to be Yosemite or El Capitan related; why not pull in a Stock photo then instead of an ancient Snow Leopard? wallpaper. edit: (I get that it's a compatibility update and not a direct successor to DragThing for El Capitan and beyond)
By that said - give it up already. I too waited for an update but this is just low.
I am now using it with El Capitan and though I get an occasional crash, it is still compatible for me.