The problem.

I keep hearing about Quicksilver, a launcher application for Mac OS. I want me some of that.

 

I searched my currently installed apps for something similar. I use Copernic Agent, and Desktop search all day long. Sure, those are sort of similar, but they don’t really act like an application launcher. I have AppRocket installed but I remember not liking it because it requires .NET. I hate .NET; too many goddamned periods. I hate periods.

So, after hours of searching I found something that fit the bill–PC-Com.  PC-Com does almost exactly what Quicksilver does–almost everything. And PC-Com does a few things that Quicksilver doesn’t. I hope this puts a rest to your search for a Quicksilver-alike for you; it did for me. I am so impressed with PC-Com that I might even buy it.

How they stack up.

Quicksilver

• it will create a catalog of applications and some frequently used folders and documents
• search for and open anything in its catalog instantly
• will recognize which items you are searching for based on previous experience
• supports abbreviations
• vanishes, waiting for the next time you summon it
• Hitting <tab> takes you to the action field, where you can use the same adaptive search to select what you would like to do
• Plug-ins add both new items and new actions, allowing you to run scripts, send instant messages, dial phone numbers, look up words in a dictionary, queue up songs in iTunes party shuffle, and much, much more
• Frequently used commands can be bound to triggers, giving you the ability to execute them immediately by hitting a hot key or using the mouse on a corner or edge of the screen.
• Cost? Nothing to Mac users.

PC-Com

• PC-Com doesn’t index documents, files, folders, programs, bookmarks, etc. It doesn’t actually search for anything until you hit enter on a keyword that doesn’t exist in the command list. Then it will popup a search window, and scan your hard drive for a match.
• PC-Com will open anything in the command list instantly. The command list requires a little configuration, but it is very user friendly.
• PC-Com maintains a history list. This history can be browsed, and modified a couple of different ways.
• PC-Com sure as hell does support abbreviations. You can set up two different kinds of abbreviations; letter commands (a single letter equates to a command, file, folder, or link), and commands (a word or phrase with or without parameters).
• PC-Com hides after the command is run. It can be called up via a user configurable hotkey.
• PC-Com doesn’t have the tab key thing but you can configure commands that accept parameters, or record macros (mouse movements and all if you wish).
• No plugins. But the record macro function is almost unlimited in power.
• No hotkey binding.
• Cost? About $8.00 for Windows users only.

Other resources. 

http://vb.mvps.org/tips/shellcpl.txt

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

http://www.ericphelps.com/batch/rundll/

AppRocket

http://www.candylabs.com/approcket/

Agent 6.0 Basic

Desktop search

Meta

http://www.copernic.com/

PC-Com

http://www.boletrice.com/

The funniest thing I’ve ever read.

Margret doesn’t like to watch films on the TV. No, hold on - let me make sure you’ve got the inflection here: Margret doesn’t like to watch films on the TV. She says she does, but years of bitter experience have proven that what she actually wants is to sit by me while I narrate the entire bleeding film to her. ‘Who’s she?’, ‘Why did he get shot?’, ‘I thought that one was on their side?’, ‘Is that a bomb’ - ‘JUST WATCH IT! IN THE NAME OF GOD, JUST WATCH IT!’ The hellish mirror-image of this is when she furnishes me, deaf to my pleading, with her commentary. Chair-clawing suspense being assaulted mercilessly from behind by such interjections as, ‘Hey! Look! They’re the cushions we’ve got.’, ‘Isn’t she the one who does that tampon advert?’ and, on one famous occasion, ‘Oh, I’ve seen this - he gets killed at the end.’

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Never buy a dayplanner again, just roll your own.

I used to print out the Day Keeper from D*I*Y Planner for my Hipster PDA every day, and fill it in by hand. I was also alternating between printing the cal-tex output of the Emacs Diary and trying to shoehorn that onto the cards, and filling in the Weekly Planners from D*I*Y planner.

A few things bothered me about these approaches:
D*I*Y Planner cards aren’t formatted in the right shape for an index card, so it always came out a little small when zoomed to fit on an index card (Update: Doug’s now fixed this with his excellent Hipster PDA version)
The pre-printed dates weren’t enough for my (very) long day.
The resolution and contrast wasn’t always correct for my laser printer.

So I’ve created an alternative in SVG. There are a few tweaks, mostly thanks to the increased length a portrait index card gives you - the Day Keeper has a longer day, and the Week Plan has space for more entries.

The nice thing about doing it in SVG is that anyone with a copy of Batik can easily roll out PNGs for whatever resolution their printer supports, and it’s very easy to edit and tweak for your own use. Feel free to do so; please send any useful mods so I can roll the best ones into this version.

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Apple has already released their developer Kit for OSX on the Intel platform and an enterprising Tablet PC Buzz member Charles Alexander has installed it on a Toshiba M200 Tablet PC.  Follow his journey here.

[via jkOnTheRun]

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