Show HN: A terminal glued to the macOS dock
github.com
I usually have 3-4 vscode windows open at the same time, and I like them in separate desktops (for mac users). i gotta admit, i use 8 desktops, 3-4 for vscode, 1 for arc, 1 for docker, 1 for postman etc.
So my daily routine when I turned on my mac was: (1) open ghostty; (2) cd-path+code.; (3) drag the vscode window to a desired desktop; (4) get back to the ghostty desktop; (5) repeat until all is open.
i was unbothered for 6y. Until i realized how inefficient i was being: (1) opening ghostty just to run one-off commands to open another app felt wrong, like why do I need a terminal if it's not a process I need to watch; (2) the need to go back to the ghostty desktop every time i wanted to open a new project and drag it to a new desktop and switch back... it's funny how we simply accept a habit and don't bother to fix it
i wanted a terminal that persisted across desktops AND that was always visible so i could access it anytime AND that wasn't big because i would only run one-off commands. so I created starboard.
where could I fit a terminal that was always visible and accessible? i looked at the macOS dock, i looked at the empty space to its right, and I said "that's it".
starboard is a floating terminal window that's literally glued to the dock, filling the blank space to the right, tracking its height and position live. it's visible from any desktop, a real companion to the dock, and it's a persistent shell.
to close the story on my routine, I now can happily jump straight to the desktop i want my project to be in and open it there through Starboard. i rarely open ghostyy, unless i really need it.
here's where feedback is massively important. i built this for the way i work with it, the way my dock is, which is in the bottom. my dock's position and height give me a perfect sized Starboard with 3 visible lines that I can happily work with. hearing from you guys how it appears to you would be essential for further improvement.