OnDock

As manufacturing methods became more efficient, tech companies began focusing on ways to reduce the size and weight of mobile devices while also increasing their performance output, leading to the netbooks of yesterday and notebook laptops of today, with the latter sacrificing ports in favor of a higher degree of portability.

However, those seeking to make the most of their device’s raw capabilities without resorting to a separate tower computer when at home may employ dedicated adapters that extend the laptop’s functionality and bring it closer to that of a desktop PC, which is where a special utility known as OnDock comes into play.

In the past, laptop manufacturers used to create separate docking stations that provided their devices with a plethora of connectivity inputs for use with multiscreen setups that would otherwise not be available when on-the-go. Since the docks themselves would feature proprietary ports that varied from one device and company to another, which posed compatibility issues when switching between brands or future iterations of the same product line — an issue that was later solved by the USB-C standard becoming widespread across almost all device types.

Instead of relying on proprietary drivers and custom launchers that are hardware dependent, the program at hand makes use of built-in Windows components such as the flexibility of PowerShell and Task Scheduler to automate the deployment of scripts and programs as soon as the laptop is connected to an active power source or external monitor to prepare the work environment for two types of scenarios.

Since multi-monitor workflows differ from single-display ones, users tend to switch the layout of their applications in a way best suited for multitasking, with the utility allowing you to keep an eye out for new emails on a side screen, while the main one can have two split windows for summarizing journal articles and referencing them with ease in the case of students. Users also try to conserve their laptop’s energy when running off of battery power, which lets you start up more demanding applications such as video editing programs when plugging the laptop to a wall outlet.

Whether you want to spread programs on specific monitors when connecting a dedicated adapter to your laptop, or you wish to start editing videos at home after writing the script for voice-overs once the device starts charging, OnDock may be the right solution for you, given the considerable amount of flexibility provided by its very nature, allowing you to launch a wide variety of scripts and programs automatically.