PSA for Mac Users: Download Quicksilver | Hacker News Reader

PSA for Mac Users: Download Quicksilver

andrewljohnson.com

Quicksilver is basically a dead project. The lead developer now works on Google Quick Search Box. Open source contributors periodically write patches to keep the thing alive, but most of the plugins and such haven't been updated in ages.

Use Spotlight or LaunchBar or Google QSB.

Ugh. Don't bother with Google QSB. Given its pedigree I had high hopes for it, but it ended up being even slower than pre-Leopard Spotlight.

I've only been using QSB for a little over a week but it seems to be the fastest of the bunch for me (on both a Core Duo and a Core 2 Quad).

I've been a Quicksilver user for a couple of years, but after upgrading to Snow Leopard I've been trying out Launchbar. I must say that I like it much, much better. It is far more stable and responsive. Also, it is much easier to configure than QS.

Same here. Quicksilver will always have a special place in my heart, but it's become somewhat buggy, and the development has slowed to a crawl. LaunchBar doesn't have as much cool factor, but it Just Works.

Nice tip. Quicksilver doesn't react as quickly on Snow Leopard it seems. It also doesn't have a calculator which Spotlight and Launchbar both have.

I thought QS had a calculator plugin. At least I think I remember using a QS-based caluclator… in any case, I definitely have to agree that LaunchBar is a superior product at this time.

AS does have a calculator, but it's not very fancy.

I can't stand Quicksilver. I've found it to be a giant memory leak (routinely using 500mb - 1gig of ram!), and will randomly freak out and try to re-index my whole disk causing it to thrash and slow everything down.

Spotlight seems to do all I need and I haven't even noticed it's indexing since upgrading to Snow Leopard.

Also, if you spend most of your day in Terminal and a code editor, what bonus do you get from Quicksilver? I don't really launch that many programs.

And here is the Google incarnation where Nicholas Jitkoff (original creator of Quicksilver) works on nowadays: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-quick-search...

Out of curiosity, is there a specific reason why people still recommend QuickSilver over Google Quick Search Box?

Speed. Quicksilver is fast, QSB is sloooooooooooow.

So, to open iTunes, all I type is ctrl-space, and then the letter I, and then enter. Since iTunes is my most used application starting with the letter I, it doesn't need much typing at all. Similarly, Aquamacs and Firefox are also just one letter away from being opened.

Or just make them triggers. That way you get a global key combo to launch stuff. I have Cmd+Shift+W to open my home folder in Finder. Cmd+Shift+S to open my Web browser. And so on. It works everywhere. I've switched from Quicksilver to Butler for doing this, but it's the same deal in both.

See http://code.google.com/p/blacktree-alchemy/downloads/list for the latest version of Quicksilver. It works well with Snow Leopard alongside with its invaluable clipboard and shelf plug-ins. It's very fast (and looks great).

If alternatives are demanded, have a look at Butler, as well: http://manytricks.com/butler/ (freeware).

Quicksilver's object-action approach and the huge pile of plug-ins make it a pain to set up, but they also make it both powerful and flexible. So, where the article suggests that it provides a way of getting rid of the mouse, others can use Quicksilver without a keyboard. See: http://modbookish.ning.com/profiles/blogs/pen-gestures-on-th....

Direct link to Blacktree's Quicksilver download page:

  http://blacktree.com/?quicksilver

Two versions are listed. Does anyone know the difference between them, other than that one is updated for Snow Leopard?

With Snow Leopard I'd say just use Spotlight. Its just as fast as QS, Lunchbar, or Google QSB for me. Since its built in and already running why bother using anything else? Of course I use it just to search and launch apps and files.

PSA for Linux Users Download gnome-do http://do.davebsd.com/

"Nah, I already use spotlight. It does all that." STFU and download this! It's better. You'll see. I promise.

Although I already use Quicksilver, this article does absolutely nothing to convince me I should use Quicksilver instead of Spotlight. The one benefit it mentions — quicker access to applications — is something that Spotlight does very well.

I know... I thought the same thing but I tried it for the hell of it and it just flows faster IMO.

Spotlight often lags 1-5 seconds for me.

Quicksilver responds instantly, every time.

A friend recently switched to the mac, and I recommended QS to her after years of being happy with it. The discussion then ensued about why QS is better than Spotlight, and the best I could come up with is that I like the fact that QS can be configured to show up in the center of the screen. The configurability and wealth of plugins is nice, but to be honest I don't use many of them, so it's not a huge deciding factor.

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