What changed

In other generations of macOX when you had a program icon in the list you had the choice of keeping it or taking it off. When you clicked a new program if you had chosen to keep it then it would keep it, and if you had not chosen to keep it then it would go off when you closed the program. Guess I have been asleep for awhile as I no longer seem to have the choice. Running Mojave 10.14.3 I find that when I open a new program it gives me the choice of keeping it but that I actually have to tell it to go away where before it would go away on its own. Am I missing a setting some place or is this just the way it works now ?

James, sorry, but I don't know what you are trying to say. What "list" are you referring to? What do you mean by keeping it or taking it off? We can't see your screen or what is happening, so you will need to describe carefully what you are saying.

I was thinking the same thing as MacInWin...what "List" are you referring to? Are you talking about the "Dock"?

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

I was thinking the same thing as MacInWin...what "List" are you referring to? Are you talking about the "Dock"?

- Nick

Click to expand...

I was thinking he meant the Dock.

Well, if he meant the Dock, the change is that now on the Dock, toward the right side, it shows the icons of the most recently used apps, even after they have been closed. I think there is a setting to make that stop, but I find it useful so I don't know where the "stop" is. Probably in System Preferences/Dock somewhere.

If that's it.

James I think Jake is on the right track. Try the following and see if it fixes the problem.

1. Open System Preferences and click on the Dock icon.
2. The last option says something like "Show recent applications in Dock". If that option is checked, uncheck it.

Now launch an application and make sure it is in the Dock. If I'm right the icon should disappear when you quit that app. Just as it did in previous versions of macOS.

Apple introduced this behavior in Mojave and it confused me when I first encountered it.

dtravis7 said:

I was thinking he meant the Dock.

Click to expand...

Congratulations Dennis you win the grand prize in the figure out what the idiot is talking about contest...Brain went dead again as I was writing the message and I simply could not think of the word dock. Got to admit that you had a big advantage in that contest though as you have had 20 plus years head start on figuring out what I am asking....

So now that we all know mostly what I am asking how about it, is this a new thing a bug or is there a place to change what it does back to the old way?. Kind of a pain to open a program I only use maybe once a month and have the icon stay in the dock forever unless I go an tell it to scram...

James, you can either turn it off as Sly has shown, or leave it there and as you use more apps, the older ones get replaced. I think it just shows the most recent three, at least that is how it seems on my Dock.

Hot dang Slydude you'er getting sharp in your old age, that seems to cure the problem right off. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I figured Apple did it but I didn't know how to undid it...

I think that got turned on by default for me when I first tried the Mojave beta. The first time I notice it it drove me bats until I found out what was causing it. After having it on for a while I find it helpful sometimes.

I have several apps that I use all the time. These stay in the Dock all the time. But that "feature" of putting recently used items in the Dock comes in handy for me. If I'm helping someone with a particular app and close it, that app is probably still in the Dock should I need to come back to it later in the day.

When I first installed my first Beta I saw it and did a double take then realized it was from IOS. IOS has been doing that with the last 3 apps for a while now. So Apple in their Wisdom Grin decided to make Mac OS do it also!

dtravis7 said:

When I first installed my first Beta I saw it and did a double take then realized it was from IOS. IOS has been doing that with the last 3 apps for a while now. So Apple in their Wisdom Grin decided to make Mac OS do it also!

Click to expand...

I didn't realize thaat at the time. It might have been you that first told/warned me about the change. I turned it off for a few days then read what it did and turned it back on. After a few days I decided I could at least tolerate it enough to leave it on.

In case anyone is interested, the "Recent Apps in the Dock" is a carry over from iOS. That particular PITA was introduced back in iOS 11 I believe. I have it turned off both for my iPad Pro and my iMac.

The more I see of apps or features being transposed from iOS to macOS (occasionally vice versa), the more I'm concerned that Apple will try to merge the two operating systems in the future.

Some will applaud this notion, others may find it disconcerting.

Ian

IWT said:

The more I see of apps or features being transposed from iOS to macOS (occasionally vice versa), the more I'm concerned that Apple will try to merge the two operating systems in the future.

Some will applaud this notion, others may find it disconcerting.

Ian

Click to expand...

That is something I have been sort of worried about also Ian. If they do it right and keep Mac OS the way it's been then it's fine.

Apple has said though they would always keep them separate OS's but all the using Apples CPU in some Macs has me wondering.