14 DAY TRIAL // Although Leopard has a very appealing desktop by default, you may feel the need to change the dock theme once in a while. Maybe you want to color-coordinate your dock and your wallpaper or you just get bored easily. To fulfill your need of change, the developers at Whimsically Plucky Software found the perfect solution: DockChanger.
DockChanger does exactly what its name says: it enables you to change all the aspects included in the appearance of your dock: the actual dock theme, the application/document separator and the active application indicator.
The Looks
DockChanger has an intuitive user interface, made up of a single window, allowing you to control everything that happens to your dock. The toolbar buttons allow you to select between the 2D and the 3D dock, restore the default dock and apply the current changes to your dock. Another useful function of the program can be found in DockChanger's main menu, allowing you to download the latest themes.
The Works
DockChanger is provided as a trial version that allows you to change your dock 10 times for free. After 10 changes, you have to pay $10 in order to receive a license that also gives you the possibility to download new themes every month. The trial already includes the latest themes available.
DockChanger comes with more than 100 dock backgrounds, 16 separator images and over 30 active application indicators included in the trial version. I think you'll find it difficult to get bored again with the variety of themes that the application provides. Best of all, you can choose any combination of the previously mentioned items and create your own personalized dock.
If you're the nostalgic type and miss the 2D dock from Tiger, DockChanger enables you to restore your dock to the 2D aspect available in the previous versions of the operating system.
The actual customization of your dock is a very simple process. All you need to do is select your favorite theme from the list and press 'Apply changes'. The application asks you for your administrator password and changes the appearance of your dock with the selected one. As you can see, DockChanger has only one requirement, besides having OS X 10.5 Leopard on your Mac: you need to be the system administrator, a position that gives you the right to change the system's settings.
Even if the trial only allows you to perform 10 changes of your dock's looks, you can still try as many combinations as you want, thanks to the dock preview included in DockChanger's main window. You can also compare the current look of your dock with the new theme selection. This is especially useful if you're not sure which of the available items go better together; comparing them directly will surely help you make a decision.
If none of the provided themes fit your taste and preferences, you can easily apply your own custom theme. If you have the individual images that make up a dock theme, all you need to do is to include your theme in DockChanger's package. Create a folder with your theme's name in the application's 'Themes' folder and place your files in it. You will then find your theme in DockChanger's menu along with the other default themes.
If you decide that you've played enough with the looks of your dock and you want to restore Leopard's default dock, which is not bad at all, if you ask me, the 'Restore Dock' button in DockChanger's toolbar does exactly that.
The Good
DockChanger has a simple and intuitive interface that makes the program easy to use, even for novice computer users. The included preview of the current theme selection is a time-saving feature that shows all the items included in the new dock appearance without actually changing it.
The Bad
If you choose to modify the dock's appearance to a 2D view, you will not be able to customize the theme. Or, at least during my tests, I could change neither the dock theme, nor the other elements of the 2D dock. The only 2D dock provided was a black stylish theme with shiny indicators.
The Truth
DockChanger's ease of use and its variety of themes make it an application suitable for all types of Mac users. DockChanger is definitely worth trying, even if you don't care about these small appearance details. You can be sure that having a dock that fits your taste and style can have a good influence on your state of mind.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
