Lion Zombie Document Mystery Solved

Matt Neuburg:

Here’s the answer: If an application is running at the time you shut down the computer (or restart or log out), that application will reopen its zombie windows the next time it is launched, even if you have told it not to.

I, too, have found that the only way to prevent zombies (and get the firewall working properly) is to manually quit every app before shutting down or restarting.

This paragraph doesn’t seem right, though:

The purpose of Sudden Termination is to support Resume (wouldn’t you know it?); most applications (perhaps all) that support Resume also support Sudden Termination, and it’s here that the trouble lies.

Applications have to opt into Sudden Termination via NSSupportsSuddenTermination, which predates Resume. I’ve seen lots of applications that Resume but few that support Sudden Termination.

Matrox DS1

Matrox:

Matrox DS1 gives you the most from your Thunderbolt port by letting you add a large display, a full size keyboard, a mouse, a wired network, and many other peripherals using a single cable. In an instant, you enjoy all the productivity benefits of a desktop computer.

When I eventually upgrade to a Thunderbolt MacBook Pro, I would be interested in a more professional-level dock. It seems that nobody makes one right now. The $249 (plus $50 cable?) DS1 doesn’t offer dual-link DVI or DisplayPort, so it’s limited to smaller displays, and it has only one USB 3 port and two regular ones. The $300 Belkin dock also has limitations. A dock that supported a full-size display, that had enough fully powered USB ports that I didn’t need any hubs, maybe even FireWire or eSATA—that would be interesting.

Update (2012-06-06): AnandTech covers the Matrox and Belkin docks.