Apps Are Go 4+

Needs more customization options, better defaults

People are comparing this application to Drag Thing, but the one that I'm comparing it to is Tab Launcher, an app that (despite not being updated for years) continued working great for me until I was forced to upgrade to MacOS Ventura.

The basics are here: you can drag applications into tabs and then use it like a MacOS dock on steroids. However, the developer's choices for what can be customized differ quite a bit from those found in Tab Launcher, and I wish he'd take a look at that app and see what could be added (and removed!) here.

In particular, I found it frustrating to have a long list of "Livery" customizations for things like "item name corners" when all I wanted to be able to do was color-code my tabs... and the tab color-coding doesn't even apply to the entire panel, just literally the tab (and I see no option to color in the entire panel the same, as Tab Launcher did).

Other things I'd really like to see here: the option to add spacers between groups of applications within a tab; the option to have application names auto-wrap to multiple lines if they exceed the specified text width (instead of ellipsing out the middle of the name); and -- SUCH A MINOR BUT ANNOYING OVERSIGHT! -- setting and saving the dock height (currently, you can drag the dock down from two applications tall to one application tall, but any customizations being it right back to its default, which feels like a waste of space to me).

To end on a positive note, I really appreciate that this developer has stepped up to replace a beloved utility, and I fully recognize that I'm asking for a replacement to a different but related one. But I think that combining Tab Launcher's features and ease-of-use with what has been created here so far could make this a five-star app that I'd happily pay more than $2.99 for!

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the detailed review.

If I hadn't offered all the attributes necessary to describe the total look of a livery, more people would've complained about that. You can copy & paste between attributes, so you really only have to choose a color once.

Only 1 or 2 rows, and it defaults back? No it doesn't. You can drag any dock to have as many rows and columns as you want - screen space limiting, of course.

a pretty good replacement for DragThing

I was looking for a 64-bit replacement for DragThing, and I have found it in Apps Are Go. It does most of the things that DragThing did (it even has the ability to recreate your previous DragThing docks as Apps Are Go docks). Be sure to download the developer's manual for the app (available from their webpage); there are lots of extra goodies there that can help you customize your copy of Apps Are Go. While this app is not DragThing specifically, I am VERY happy with what it does (I purchased it for a computer at work AND my machine at home). For you penny-pinchers out there -- $2.99 is a steal for an app that does most of what DragThing did: jump on this. Great work by Mr. Mills.

A tacky but good beginning

At last, a potential replacement for DragThing! The themes are 1996-era cringey and I don't get the emphasis on sound fx, but at least I can upgrade to Catalina now.

Wishlist stuff: option to always show (don't hide) the docks, allow tabs on the side (for vertical lists), more space around the tabs' titles (8px min), and a simple semi-transparent, black theme. Also, the selected tab should be the same color as the dock, and the unslected tabs should be grey (i.e. in the background).

Developer Response ,

You can create your own liveries that have the settings and look you want. You can also change the sounds to anything you want, even turn them off if they bug you. It’s certainly not the first app to use sounds as user action reinforcement.