Hardware Geeks

I’m sure I’m in the majority when I say that I want as few applications on my system as possible, and periodically delete those which I believe have similar functionality to other applications on my computer.

I recently came across a blog post, where someone argued their case about why Quicksilver (QS) is not a useful app. He wrote of Quicksilver (I will refer to this as QS from now on) as purely an application launcher, and considered it redundant since Tiger’s introduction of Spotlight. Here I will ignore this basic launcher feature, and write about other uses of QS, which you may or may not have known about.

Although I am a (lazy) designer, and one who edits/writes many documents, I mainly use my laptop for recreational use, talking to friends, emailing, etc. - the standard functions I believe the average user would be familiar with.

Since I have installed Quicksilver, I find things a LOT easier to manage. Firstly, an assumption of a simple “app launcher” is definitely wrong, as shown by my following uses of the application.

I use Quicksilver to set global key commands. Anything from Pause/Play iTunes, Empty the trash, set an alarm in 5 minutes, send an SMS message from my cellphone (via bluetooth) to my girlfriend (or perhaps anyone in my Address Book). All these actions can be done with simple, global key commands, with any active application.

Quicksilver makes it easy to resize an image in a second, shorten or crop an audio file, append to text files.

Quicksilver can EVEN be used as a full Finder replacement. To be honest, I rarely browse through my file-tree in Finder, I simply “right-arrow” through folders using QS, until I find the requested file, then I can choose an action to do with that file, e.g. e-mail it straight to a friend, found in Address Book.

If someone asks me for someone’s phone number, I invoke Quicksilver, type in the requested person’s name, and instantly find all contact details via Address Book. I then have options to just display the information as large type on the screen, call the number through Skype, or even to my bluetooth cellphone.

I can go to my MSN list through Adium in QS, and type in replies, using it as a way to send IMs. Or, have an automatic reply lined up, ready to send to someone, and I can use Quicksilver to do all that.

Say I wanted to quickly set a reminder in a few minutes that my food is ready, I can invoke QS, press the period key, type a reminder, and choose the reminder to display on my screen in 3 minutes (say). Or perhaps to play a song or MP3 file.
*Half way through writing this article, I actually got hungry, and put some ravioli into the microwave, set a text alarm with QS to display after two minutes, and collected my food*

I have many scripts written by myself and others which help enhance QS. For example, a key combination can switch the state of my bluetooth status, my volume levels, or perhaps even make my dock switch from 2D to 3D in leopard.

Key commands, or any other input, can be switched to any form of input you could imagine, including mouse gestures.

And all this is ignoring the fact that QS is also an app launcher. But as an app launcher, I find it more useful than spotlight, faster, and able to do a lot more with the application you want.

If you haven’t given QS a look, or even perhaps not as in depth as this, perhaps try to look into it if you get some spare time, I guarantee you’ll begin to love it for its many features as time goes on!

For additional Info visit: http://docs.blacktree.com/quicksilver/what_is_quicksilver

Post Tags: software  quicksilver 

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