OS X Software: Quicksilver

For as long as I've been using OS X, LaunchBar has reined supreme as the one shareware application I could never use the operating system without, and the first download suggested to anyone switching over from Windows. For launching applications and accessing local content without grabbing the mouse, LaunchBar was the only game in town and worth every penny of the $39 registration fee.

But there's a new gunslinger on the horizon -- run, don't walk, and download Quicksilver.

Quicksilver offers everything LaunchBar does, but with a greater suite of interface choices and functionality, and is completely open source and free to use. You can search for mp3s in iTunes, grab contacts from your address book and send emails, open browser bookmarks, navigate your local harddrive -- all from one simple interface engaged with the same LaunchBar-esque Option-Space (which you can change), and by typing the first few letters of whatever content you want. And like LaunchBar, Quicksilver remembers the characters you typed to access your preferred content, so it quickly builds a database of options molded around your particular needs.

But Quicksilver goes beyond being a simple launcher -- it also offers a Shelf to place content on, a Clipboard viewer which remembers your capture history, and loads of customizable options.

Quicksilver also comes with three interface options (unlike LaunchBar's single drop-down style) -- "Window", "Menu", and "Bezel". Window is the default interface, though I personally prefer (and highly recommend selecting) Bezel for it mimicks the center-screen, semi-transparent look of LiteSwitch X and OS X's volume / brightness / eject feedback icons. In Bezel mode, Quicksilver feels like a natural appendage of the operating system.

As for speed (comparing Quicksilver to LaunchBar) Quicksilver feels faster, and is noticeably quicker on startup. After getting up to speed with the interface (thanks to this handy tutorial) I was doing everything I used to do in LaunchBar, but faster.

I never thought any application would replace LaunchBar, but the Quicksilver developers have done just that. Download Quicksilver and see if you aren't just as hooked. And don't bother looking for a price tag. Quicksilver is free.