Any of you guys has tried any combination before and compared them? I've been trying out Quicksilver for a month or two now and I like it for the fact that I can call it by pressing Ctrl+Space combination. I haven't tried Butler and Launchbar yet - any experience you'd like to share particularly with features that you like over Quicksilver?
ever since Tiger (and Spotlight), i've been using Quicksilver less until lately i realized i haven't launched it for the past 6 months. spotlight does it for me, no need for 3rd party launchers.
QuickSilver. Used it before Spotlight, and still use even with Spotlight - mainly since QuickSilver is hands-down faster than Spotlight.
quicksilver - for primary use spotlight - for newly installed apps (takes a few mins for quicksilver to re-index) the thing w/ quicksilver kasi is it remembers the apps that you usually type-in and use.. not sure if spotlight does this hehe find it really slow kasi
seems like there are a lot of Quicksilver fans here (and spotlight too). I do find Quicksilver to be more convenient with how accessible it is...I'm just not sure if I'm testing Butler/Launchbar in their full potential. Just to be clear, I'm not finding anything to replace Quicksilver...I just read on an article about 22 essential mac apps and launchbar and butler is rated on top of quicksilver. Suddenly a question popped into my mind 'What am I missing?'
I love Quicksilver. It has rendered my dock and its icons almost useless. I have never heard of Butler before, but maybe I'll give it a try too. Maybe it is a better launcher.
@dominiquejames, I think Google Desktop is just a launcher though much like spotlight. I haven't really used it but just read through its features in google.com
When I install a new app and want it accessible immediately I just force QS to re-index its catalog. In fact, I have QS set to auto-reindex only once a day (to catch those apps/docs which you forgot you installed). That's the main reason I say it's hands down faster. Not just because it's speed and responsiveness is faster, but because it builds a 'scoring' index for which apps/documents you open for particular key combinations (you can manually decrease scores or mark which items as defaults for your favorite key combinations). So, unlike Spotlight which basically just performs a keyword index search, Quicksilver actually maintains a personalized index that automatically adjusts to how you use it. So the claim of "Wei Wu Wei" isn't at all far-fetched.
quicksilver is so much more than a launcher. ttry going thru its plug-in list and you'll realize that it is also an itunes commander, has various functions that work with osx and other apps - ie select a file then 'email to' so it attaches instantly to a mail message that opens up for the former or update tasks on iGTD with a certain keystroke combo for the latter. it works with a syntax that goes <file/app><action (open, email to, copy to)><destination (folder, etc)>. once you get the hang of it you become so much more productive because you dont have to lift your finger to use the trackpad to pull down menus.
i've been using quicksilver for a few days. and im starting to get the hang of this. i wonder how the hardcore quicksilver people use this app.
Quicksilver for me too, been using it for more than a year now. Im so into it that i sometimes press ctrl+spcae even on a new machine that doesnt have one.
A vote for Quicksilver for me too. Apart from a very intelligent launcher, it has other features that make my workflow easier as well. I love how I can send files through email without having to launch Mail.app. A great resource is Merlin Mann's 43folders if you want to make the most of this great little app.
put in another vote for quicksilver for me. beyond app launching and file finding, i use it to control my music. i had it index my itunes music folder so i can easily search artists, albums and songs. coupled with the itunes plugin, i can easily control my music without ever opening itunes. plus the bezel interface looks cool.
