7/29/2023 0 Comments Launchbar slow computerThere is a placeholder page for user-submitted extensions, but it does not yet have any submissions. Speaking of extensions, in version 6, you can now write your own extensions using a variety of scripting languages, which should provide a lot of extra functionality. I also enjoy being able to activate system services and Automator workflows through LaunchBar, which also opens up other ways of interacting with applications, without having to write an extension for it. For example, if you select a text file, you can use the right arrow to examine (and take action on) each line of the file separately. LaunchBar also makes it somewhat easier to navigate and drill down into both the filesystem and objects. Consequently, some things that you need to build or download extensions to achieve in Alfred can be done out of the box in LaunchBar, such as adding new calendar entries or reminders, or tagging files in Mavericks. One difference between LaunchBar and Alfred is that LaunchBar has a slightly more comprehensive set of built-in actions and app-specific extensions, and that LaunchBar makes it a bit easier to pass objects around the application and perform a set of actions on it (similar to the way that Quicksilver operated). As an example, you can select a file or group of files, Instant Send them to Launchbar, then type comp and press return to compose a new email and attach the files to it. The items are then sent to LaunchBar, ready to be acted upon: all you need to do is start typing an abbreviation for an action, then hit return to activate the action. You can select either files or text and then press and hold the shortcut you use to activate LaunchBar (for me, the default cmd+space). LaunchBar 6Īs I mentioned in my previous review, the ‘Instant Send’ feature of LaunchBar is fantastically useful. There are a lot of other improvements too, all of which make it much more difficult for me to decide whether LaunchBar or Alfred fits my needs better. If you are on the wrong side of middle age, the window is now much easier to read quickly. LaunchBar 6 definitely addresses one of the issues I had with the previous version, which is that the command window is much larger, with bigger text, and is located near the middle of the screen rather than at the top under the menu bar. LaunchBar 6 was recently released, and since I apparently can’t leave well enough alone with some categories of software, I gave LaunchBar another try. When LaunchBar 5 came out, I spent a while trying it out again, but eventually went back to using Alfred 2. As I wrote about when LaunchBar 5 was released, I’ve used (at one time or another) almost every third-party launcher including Quicksilver, LaunchBar and Butler, but in recent years, I have settled in to using Alfred exclusively. Having to mouse around to launch applications or files (let alone all the other things that launchers let you accomplish) feels positively archaic once you have got used to relying on one. I know from bitter experience of using other people’s Macs that I find it very hard to use a computer without a launcher of some kind installed.
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