Thanks to hmelman for the suggestion for today's poll -- it was one of many good ideas presented in the comments to my recent call for help. Look for more polls from that thread in the future -- looks like we'll have enough topics to keep the polls fresh for a while at least! Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas.

-rob.

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...and not just any Snard. I prefer the original "Docklet" version (remember Docklets?) that is no longer available.

http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/snard.html

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From a long time ago I was a big fan of the old Now Utilities and the closest I have come to a replacement is the pretty good AliasMenu (http://www.widemann.net/aliasmenu/index.html). But I only use this on my main Mac with a nice wide screen as it tends to eat up menu bar real estate.

I have tried the keyboard launchers and find my preference leans to menus rather than keyboard for launching. And on my iBook and other low use Macs I just make a folder in ~/Documents called "Apps" give it a custom icon and drag it to the dock. I place simple aliases in the menu and that works remarkably well. Either a click and hold for 2 seconds or a right/ctrl click for instant access works great. That method also seems to impact the system less by not running a lot of background stuff required for the alternative menu systems or keyboard launchers

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Simple/fast etc

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Sapiens; a very intelligent learner of your apps using habits and TigerLaunch a free menu bar launcher that allows you to check OFF the apps you do not want in the menu!

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I use Namely. Fast, simple, and reliable.

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me, too

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Namely too

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Me too!

---
Place me in the company of those who seek Truth, but deliver me from those who believe to have found it.

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Likewise. I considered Quicksilver indispensable for a while, but now I prefer the simple efficiency of Namely.

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Hi!

It should be possible to select more than one correct answer cause it's more than likely that one is using different methods for different programs (and where's good old Dock?).

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I think that the "OS X Finder" answer is the one for Dock users.



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This is a good point. I answered Namely, but I certainly do use the Finder (and the Dock), too. Even the Terminal (or xterm) gets some app-launching action with open -a. Some people may even register all the apps they use as Login Items and be done with it! Well, maybe.

Anyway, I'd interpret the question as "what is your primary method of launching apps," with a focus on which third-party utilities people find useful.

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I should have included primary, yes ... I'll edit the question now. I also changed "Finder" to "Finder / Toolbar / Dock" to be a bit more clear...

-rob.

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I answered "the Finder" as it was the closest to an Apple supplied alternative.

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Me too.

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Quicksilver, Quicksilver, Quicksilver, Quicksilver, Quicksilver, Quicksilver!

Man that app rocks. I get seriously lost when I sit down at a Mac without it installed, or at a Windows box at all: Command-space, erm, where's the launcher?

It gets so bad that I often forget how to launch apps otherwise. I'll find myself thinking "Hrm, no Quicksilver. No problem, I'll just install it. Let's fire up Safari..." command-space "Oh, wait. Where's the mouse?"

-J

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Command - Space opens the Spotlight-Box for me, my primary launcher (for apps not in the Dock, though). No big deal.

---
this is not the sig you`re looking for.

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Amen to that.

Once in a rare while QS crashes on me though... and I find my self trying to restart it: ctrl-space -- uh...

btw, on windows there is launchy, not nearly as powerful as QS but for basics it's handy.

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Your rant at the beginning reminds me of a monkey... that's it! Steve Balmer!

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I know I'm posting this early in the voting, but I'm surprised James Thomson's venerable and dependable DragThing isn't getting more votes. I do use Quicksilver on occasion, but I've been a loyal DragThing user for years. Its customizable tabs keep it out of the way when not in use, and I've got every app, doc, URL, and script I use on a regular basis tucked into its drawers (of course, I still yearn for OS 9's handy Pop-Up Windows). Works like a charm and always has.

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Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes
http://www.dougscripts.com/itunes/

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I used to use DragThing back in OS 9. With the Dock in OS X I think I installed DragThing, but found myself using it less and less. These days Quicksilver covers every use and more that I used DragThing for back in the day. QS takes up less space and keeps my hands on the keyboard.

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i am jack's amusing sig file

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With regard to "keeping [one's] hands on the keyboard," I actually find DragThing to be quite good for this - I have keyboard shortcuts set up for almost all my apps, even the less-frequently-used ones. Easy to set up, and completely customizable. Just about any app is a control-option-[letter] away. Faster even than command-tab for switching between applications that are already running.

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I selected "Quicksilver" in the poll, since that's what I use most. But I also have DragThing. I was using DragThing well before I tried Quicksilver, and still use it for some things. But I have to admit that I use QS as a launcher much more than DT, although I really like DT's process dock to show me what's running, what's hidden, etc.

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I assume "OS X's Finder" includes the Dock and other built-in methods, such as dragging a proxy icon to an app icon. It's rare that I go to a Finder window to launch an app, but I do usually use it to open documents. I tried Quicksilver briefly and got the idea, but for the variety of things I open (and, important: the way I organize my files) the System is just as efficient. I even turned off the System-wide Recent Items in the Apple menu, because I wasn't using it.

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Having apps, docs, meetings, contacts phones, web urls, web searches, spotlight searches right under a shortcut is fantastic.

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Veni, Vidi, Barty !

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I often use the terminal as a launcher. I have set up several aliases and scripts to open frequently used apps. For example, occasionally I run NetInfo Manager, but I do not use it often enough to take up room in the dock. I have the following entry in my .bashrc file.

alias netinfo='open -a /Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager.app'

I just enter the command netinfo, and viola! No more drilling down to find /Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager in the Finder. I also use the command-line version of BBEdit to open text files more often than clicking on them in the Finder.

-Mark

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I'll second open(1) as a great all purpose launcher. In terminal open <filename> generally does the right thing, even with directories. From shell scripts and (especially) emacs, it's really handy. Back in the Sun, AIX, then Linux days, it was necessary to supply a "helper application" for each mime-type. Now open suffices for all of them. Swanky.

Other than that, I use Spotlight. I've tried quicksilver and got fed up when they required up-to-date checks for beta versions. That's crap.

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Yep, I do that for some applications. Finder/Dock and Spotlight for some others.

Of course, many of the applications I use don't even need to use the <code>open</code> command, since they just run in the terminal window. :-) (Favorites are ssh, emacs, irssi, yafc, and less.)

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I like FruitMenu myself. I can open anything from the Apple Menu, put any folder(s) in there.

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Fruitmenu is what the Apple menu should have been. I mean, come on, Steve Jobs, it's a global menu for a reason, you know.

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I don't use one single method or one program to open documents or applications.

In the Finder I launch Applications from:

• Dock
• Recent Applications (Apple menu)
• directly from the Apple menu thanks to Fruit Menu (does Fruit Menu count as a "program"?)
• Finder window (yes, I go to my application folders for seldomly used apps)
• Document's Open With context menu item (I think this qualifies as launching an application and opening a document)
• Finder window toolbar

The one method I almost never use is aliases on my Desktop since it's usually hidden behind 35.6 windows at any given time. :-j

As for documents... I open them from where I find them which is usually pretty much the same places I launch applications from.

I guess that makes the Mac pretty wonderful. Right? Hmm....

On Windows I use:

• Start Menu
• Launch tray (only about 6 items because it needs to share the whatchyamacallit bar with every bleepin' window on the cursed machine)
• Document's Open with context menu (or whatever it's called)
• As a last resort because it isn't (or I can't find it) in the Start Menu, the Program Folder... which can turn into a real adventure since programs are often nested in directories bearing the name of the publisher, not the program, and the programs name is as likely as not to have a 8.3 filename that bears little resemblance to what humans consider to be the program's "name."

Shorter list, isn't it? Again, I'm omitting aliases on the desktop because, true to the "Desktop Metaphor," I can rarely see mine. :-)

An interesting difference between Mac and Windows is that it's easy to access Window's permanent and recently used application in the Start Menu but more difficult in the All Programs menu item. On Mac, the Dock is easier than either but recently used item are only slightly less so. Adding items to Window's Start Menu is much more difficult than it should be, even with drag and drop.

Linux? I'm not going there. :-j

---
--
"Where's my other sock?" - A. Einstein

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I have iKeys set up to launch programs. I'm a keyboard jockey from way back, so macro launchers are easiest for me.

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Double-Tongued Word Wrester: a growing dictionary of old and new words from the fringes of English. http://www.doubletongued.org/

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I do, too, but I only use if for a handful of most-often-used apps. Otherwise, I've been using Spotlight for apps.

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From sigsoftware.com A great little utility that has tabbed 'drawers' that slide out from the side of your screen. They can hold any type of file/information that you use.

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I've gotten attached to Overflow. I have a set of apps that are always on so I just keep them in the Dock but the rest are in overflow and it's work well for me.

I should give Quicksilver a chance though.

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I have created folders for each type of app (Office, Design, Internet, etc.), and within each of these I placed aliases to my most commonly used apps. I then put these folders in the Dock. This allows me to have relatively rapid access to my applications (ctrl-click or right-click on a Dock icon, then select the correct entry), while conserving screen area on my 12" powerbook and having relatively large icons to click on. I customized the folders' icons for better readibility.

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...at least for apps. The Finder for documents.

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Same here: Himmelbar for apps and Finder for documents.

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Takes no real estate other than small menu bar icon, and gives me single click access to applications and utilities. Fantastic time saver for me.

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I use LaunchBar, DragThing, and FruitMenu, and also the Dock for the few things I use every day, like Safari and Entourage... but even them I launch with LaunchBar.

I also use SpotLight for documents.

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G4/Digital Audio/1GHz, 1 GB, Mac OS X 10.4.8 • www.david-schwab.com

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I use Finder and Edgies almost as much.

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Himmel Bar

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http://www.scriptsoftware.com/ikey/


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I've tried and rejected them all until I met Overflow. It really is a nice little launcher.

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I find that a combo solution works best for me. I keep all of my Apple apps (except iTunes) in TigerLaunch, accessible from the Menubar. I put my Office Suite and Adobe CS in the Dock, along with iTunes and Flock. And I use Overflow to set up groups, like IT apps, Web Apps, Social Networking Apps, etc. I never really like Quicksilver. I also have the Dock modified with Onyx to make hidden apps transparent that are in use, and set the drop shadow on the Dock. Oh, and I set the windows to Suck, since WIndows does suck. ;)

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I use Alias Menu for launching as you can build your own drop down menus. Although the setup is different, it works like the old NowMenus or ActionMenus and is very versatile.

Actually, the concept goes back to System 5 and the old utility OnCue.

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I find the list of options in this survey to be severely deficient, as it ignores a whole class of launcher/switchers. (OK, I haven't used _all_ of these programs, so some may have this functionality but probably not as their primary reason for being.)

The class of launcher/switchers that I find missing is the "chording" type whereby one sets a key combination and thereafter launches or switches-to the file or program or Finder folder associated with the key combination. One can also activate many system functions such as closing a window using these products. I use several of the products mentioned in the list (LaunchBar rocks), but there is simply no substitute for chording.

As an aside, I've found that the combination Shift-Option-Command-<some non-modifier key> is nearly conflict-free and is also very easy to use since that array of modifier keys is nearly the same shape as the three main finders of my left hand.

So while I use several programs on the list, the ones that I vote for are:
HotApp
Keyboard Maestro

Jerry

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I used Keyboard maestro for years, but switched to Spark for new machines. I'm still using Keyboard Maestro on one older desktop. In both cases, I have key sequences to bring particular apps to the front.

I have QuickSilver installed, but have never warmed to using it.

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I use the Dock (on occasion Finder itself) to launch apps most of the time - and voted as such, but for one or two applications I use Spark since I don't want them sitting in the Dock all the time.

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It's much more than a launcher, of course, but since I have it, I use it.

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I don't download and install any applications that can be easily created with the tools that Apple provided with OS X. There is a wealth of capabilities included in OS X that go untapped by many. There is no need to depend on other 3rd party applications to perform system maintenance, clean out caches, or even to create your own program launcher.

To create your own program launcher:

Open the Applications/AppleScript folder and launch the AppleScript Utility. Check the box to Show Script Menu in menu bar.

Next, create a folder under /Users/"Your Login"/Library/Scripts (I called it App-Menu).

Open the Applications/AppleScript/Script Editor.app and create a new script containing the following line:

do shell script ("open -a '/Applications/Chess.app'")

Save the script to the /Users/"Your Login"/Library/Scripts/App-Menu folder as Chess.

When you click on the Script Menu in the menu bar, you will see the folder you created along with the new script to launch your application listed in it.

Create as many scripts as you like for the various applications on your hard drive (iChat, iCal, iPhoto, AppleWorks, etc) and save them to the new folder you created (/Users/"Your Login"/Library/Scripts/App-Menu).




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If you are going create a one line script to run an application why not just drag an alias of the application into your scripts menu?

If you never use osascript to run things this seems like poor justification of why you never install 3rd party apps to replace functionality the OS has. It's all to do with choice and user preference. Just because you can use Applescript to launch an app it doesn't mean its the right way (nor the wrong way either).

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Steve

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I am just stating _my_ preferences and providing an alternative to downloading and installing 3rd party applications to do something that can be done with the tools provided. If you don't like them, don't use them. The choice is yours.

I might have mis-understood your reply, but dragging an application onto the Script Menu in the menu bar does not create a shortcut (or alias) to the application (at least not on my system).



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Re-read previous entry. Dragging an "alias" into the folder will create an entry in the menu, however, the point here being that there is more than one way to do it.

I still stand by my idea of using the system tools provided. Less chance of something breaking or application incompatibilities during upgrades from 10.4.x to 10.5 (yeah, like no one has ever seen that before). No need to pay out money for something or download a 3rd party app to do something that can be accomplished with local tools. Less chance of loading buggy software written by someone else onto my system and messing it up or conflicting with other applications while it is running.


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On the Mac I use Blacktree Quicksilver if I'm near my keyboard or just the dock if in mouse range. Its a clever mix of functionality with an extensible plugin system.

On Windows I use Bayden SlickRun. It lacks the automated file-updating features of Launchy but is blistering fast and very efficient once setup. Only 176KB in size.

---
Steve

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One of the problems with this poll is that the dock has the most used programs and I use Butler for other items. In talking with friends, they also use the dock and something else. Maybe the poll should be adjusted to reflect that scenario.

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Quicksilver for some things. Especially most apps.
Documents tend to get opened via the Finder.
Or via the 'recent files' menu item in an app. Illustrator kicks ass because it has the 'recent files' menu available in the Dock menu; I wish more stuff would do that!

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Same thing here, never got rid of the habit to use the Finder to open documents. I do have five or six absolutely essential apps in the Dock, but I use QuickSilver most of the time to launch apps.

QuickSilver simply is a dream. Wouldn't want to miss it for a day.

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I actually start most program runs from Emacs (Aquamacs that is); that's because I do all my writing (LaTeX) and programming (C++, python) in Emacs and start everything I need (latex, bibtex, preview, g++, python, gdb, ...) directly from there... Typically I even start Illustrator from emacs' dired mode.

Maybe not Mac-like, but very Unix-like! That's why I like my Mac;)

I should say that I do start Mail, iCal, Safari ... from the Dock, but that doesn't happen that often, as they always run.

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I've licensed most of the other apps in the primary list, but this is the one I find I use constantly. I keep Butler running as a docklet, but its removal would be no loss.

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http://www.sigsoftware.com/
Have used this for a long time. Actually, I probably use the Dock the most, but I have most of my primary applications in one drawer, games in another, and media applications in another.

I also use and love QuickSilver, but was only given one choice.

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Used Butler before, but it takes too long to load. Tried Quicksilver too, but I am a mouse user and not keyboard shortcut one.

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I use Butler for launching applications and Spotlight for searching and opening files. If I know where the file is and it is quickly accessible I use Finder.

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Thought it would.

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It takes up little space and I find it more intuitive to head to the dock than fly up to the menu bar.

If anyone is interested, I also use Butler to give me direct access to some apps via the menubar (the kind I don't use often but when I do I need immediate access).

Graeme

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http://www.chronosnet.com/Products/f10_product.html

Saw it at MacWorld a couple years ago, been with me ever since.

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