Same here... I bailed on QS when it went dormant.
I used it for sometime before finding Alfred and liked it. At the time Alfred was more full featured, so I stuck with it. It does look like LB has expanded its feature set since then though.
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Five Essential Apps for Your Mac
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Same here... I bailed on QS when it went dormant.
I used it for sometime before finding Alfred and liked it. At the time Alfred was more full featured, so I stuck with it. It does look like LB has expanded its feature set since then though.
Since we seem to have people who know their apps in this thread:
Question: is there anything out there similar to what Perian used to do? I want to be able to Quickview video files, regardless of the codec, by pressing the space bar. Perian used to do this.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Question: is there anything out there similar to what Perian used to do? I want to be able to Quickview video files, regardless of the codec, by pressing the space bar. Perian used to do this.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
My Top Apps;
I guess Trickster is one of the best unsung apps for the Mac.
- Alfred 3
- Trickster
- HomeBrew (okay, not really an app)
- iTerm
- Back-In-Time 4
I guess Trickster is one of the best unsung apps for the Mac.
I use BetterSnapTool instead of magnet but I agree macOS needs something like this. Take a page from MS!
Find Any File (replaced easyfind for me on HS)
Default Folder X
Hyperdock
FinderMinder (old window placement app)
TotalFinder
Bean
maybe cleanap
for starters
Default Folder X
Hyperdock
FinderMinder (old window placement app)
TotalFinder
Bean
maybe cleanap
for starters
RE: My question:
Is there a File Manager app that lets me copy a file's directory path as easily as Windows File Explorer does?
i.e., 1) Click on the path line. 2) Copy.
Thank you so much!
Both of you are correct!
I waited 15 minutes on the phone for Apple Support and spent at least another 30 minutes about that question. They also asked for help from someone else.
Best answer: Manually select the path and copy from the get info screen. That takes forever to do compared to what you described.
BTW, how did you know that? I don't see it on official list of Finder keyboard shortcuts:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236
I'll probably still get one of those file manager apps so I can have 2 panes of files up at once. Or is that also possible in Finder?
I wish you were my roommates so I could just yell questions as I have them. Please move to Austin TX...
Is there a File Manager app that lets me copy a file's directory path as easily as Windows File Explorer does?
i.e., 1) Click on the path line. 2) Copy.
Thank you so much!
Both of you are correct! I waited 15 minutes on the phone for Apple Support and spent at least another 30 minutes about that question. They also asked for help from someone else.
Best answer: Manually select the path and copy from the get info screen. That takes forever to do compared to what you described.
BTW, how did you know that? I don't see it on official list of Finder keyboard shortcuts:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236
I'll probably still get one of those file manager apps so I can have 2 panes of files up at once. Or is that also possible in Finder?
I wish you were my roommates so I could just yell questions as I have them. Please move to Austin TX...
Not sure what you mean. I can move a file using cmd+x and cmd+v which removes it from the original position and puts it in the new one.
They are actual well-known security and encryption experts, which is why I buy their stuff over trusting the free stuff out there.
If AgileBits corporate is hacked, your passwords remain as secure as your master password is (which should be very complex and long for exactly this reason). The encrypted data stores may be vulnerable to such an attack, but the contents are still secure. As any security expert will tell you: good security software trusts no one, including itself.
Now a more nefarious hack would be that 1Password the application is compromised, and you download the compromised version and run it. Which is of course a possibility with any and all software running on all your devices. Even Apple (see FBI attempts to make Apple push out a compromised version of iOS a few years back). Again, this is why I would trust someone with a name and reputation in the industry over a no name or open source vendor with regards to security; they are less likely to fold under pressure.
1Password does not have access to your unencrypted data. Everything is stored encrypted. If you forget your master password 1Password (or any password manager) cannot help you recover your data.
If 1Password/LastPass/etc are hacked, these hackers will have access to the garbled data. Then your data will be as secure as your password.
For best security use long and memorable passwords.
I am not enough of a power user, apparently, because I've heard of neither any of the apps in the post nor most of the apps mentioned in this thread. I just have two monitors plus my MBP display, and just drag apps from screen to shining screen.
I know others have answered this already, but just a sampling of how I use Alfred pretty much every day at work (usually hundreds of times per day).
<smoosh>-V ("smoosh" meaning the three modifiers on the left side all held down - control-option-command) = pick from recent clipboard items to paste in
shift-<smoosh>-V = paste whatever is on the clipboard in plain text (no formatting)
shift-<smoosh>-L = Display whatever is highlighted on the screen in large text so I can see it from across the room. You can get the same with <smoosh>-space "whatever", Command-L, but this little mini-workflow us more commonly used for me.
<smoosh>-L = open a new Terminal window and 'less' through the highlighted Finder/PathFinder file
<smoosh>-space, "bug" look up the bug number(s) I copied to the clipboard in our bug tracking system (opens a Safari window on our Jira instance with either the bug or search results of all copied bug numbers; note that I can skip the keyboard on this and the others by typing in after "bug" like "bug esc-1234", but usually I am looking up a bug that someone sent as text so it goes to the clipboard instead of being typed in)
<smoosh>-space, "cl" look up the changelist(s) I copied to the clipboard in our code review system
<smoosh>-space, "cve" look up the CVEs I copied to the clipboard in the National Vulnerabilities Database
<smoosh>-space, "smb" take the SMB address (possibly in Windows format, which auto-converts to smb://... format) and open it using Finder
<smoosh>-space, "movie Star Wars" - open searches (in three tabs) of YouTube, IMDB, and RottenTomatoes on the given movie title, which is a godsend when scrolling through ex the Apple TV Netflix app which doesn't give any kind of "how good is this movie really" indication other than its wonky "90% match" judgement.
Then there are search keywords like "hulu", "prime", "usps", etc, which search in specific systems, the simple calculator ("What is 17*37?" => <smoosh>-space, "17*37", answer displays below and I can hit 'Enter' to copy to clipboard of Command-L and flip the screen around to display the answer in large print), the dictionary and spellcheck (<smoosh>-space, "define bugaboo" shows the definitions as well as the ability to open Dictionary on it; <smoosh>-space, "spell cieling" shows the corrected spelling as well as the definition of the suggested word), the snippet management system, etc.
Alfred is a workflow/automation app, not just a search app. It is also great at local search (and tends to find stuff better than Spotlight especially for new apps on the system.
For "essential for me apps", Alfred (and the setup I have for it) is the thing that is most critical after the OS itself. Spotlight Search doesn't even come close to replacing Alfred.
Could QuickSilver do all this? Back when I used it, it wasn't there yet, but maybe it could nowadays. As someone else mentioned, QuickSilver had its moment in the sun, then when it was abandoned for some time I looked for alternatives and Alfred was there. I see no reason to look back to QuickSilver at this point unless there are some major killer features it has which Alfred does not.
Is there a File Manager app that lets me copy a file's directory path as easily as Windows File Explorer does?
i.e., 1) Click on the path line. 2) Copy.
I love my 2016 15" MBP's screen and mousepad so much more than those of any of the > 10 Thinkpad I've owned. But Finder seems so much more awkward vs Windows File Explorer. More keystrokes to do the same thing.
This has a big impact on my productivity - at the end of a work week I typically have ~ 200 files that need backup.
Forklift is a dual pane file manager that lets you copy the current path of the selected file to the clipboard.
I could not live without it on my Mac. I most often use it to compare versions of files (it has good FileMerge integration).
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I actually can't remember. I either stumbled over that on my own or read it in one of the "All the little things" threads that pop up here traditionally in the macOS section of the forum whenever the first previews versions of an upcoming new version of macOS is available.
Well, you can of course open as many Finder windows or tabs in a single Finder window as you want. But admittedly, neither solution would be as tidy as an actual dual-pane file manager.
I am on the beta version of their iOS application too. Definitely something I use on a daily basis.
My Mac is _essential_ in my profession that includes iOS development.
re: bolded
I'm using ClipMenu which has become a must have, I think I originally looked at Paste, but went for the less frills, free option
Clipy (formerly ClipMenu):
https://github.com/Clipy/Clipy (Git/Source)
https://clipy-app.com/ (App Binaries)
Er, so I guess I'm saying Clipy as an essential, even though I'm still using ClipMenu (which runs perfectly fine on 10.13.2 ...)
Nice shoutout for Little Snitch
If you just want to play arcade games MAME is fine but have you tried OpenEmu? Great little open source project for MacOS that will let you play backups of your games for most of your old consoles: Ps1, Nintendo 64 and precious Nintendo as well as including MAME support.
Alfred has so much more functionality than Spotlight.
- clipboard history
- searching in websites (Youtube, Amazon, etc)
- media control
- system commands (sleep, shutdown, eject, etc)
- 1Password integration
Alfred can be extended via plugins (workflows) to do pretty much anything you can imagine. Here is an Alfred workflow I maintain for using Google's apps and services: https://github.com/PierBover/AlfredWorkflowGoogleApps
You can for example create a new Google docs file, open your Google Passwords, etc
+1
I forgot to mention FinderMinder of Irradiated Software. Absolutely a must have app for me as it deals with a bug not solved for many years.
iStat menus and Bartender serve completely different purposes! Bartender enables you to organize menu bar apps while the other enables you to monitor your computer in real time!
I use both and love them equally and do think they are essential for power users. Bartender specifically if you have a small screen laptop like a 13” MacBook Pro.
Also use Supertab which replaces the default app switcher with a more versatile menu providing you along with the app switcher functionality, clipboard history, access to favorite folders, recent files and other stuff as it’s quite customisable.
OnyX can be quite useful as well to unlock some hidden settings and provide more customisation to the MacOS interface as well as access to some buried functions.
@indros and @Weaselboy
Did you miss Quicksilver when you switched to Alfred? Or did you think "this is better - what was I holding out for?"
It's true I mostly use QS as a file picker/launcher, but I use the calculator every day (I see Alfred has that too), search contacts, find then quick-look files. I rarely use things like "run after delay" these days, but 'large type' or 'speak text' is occasionally useful, or resizing images. I guess I rarely use those features ... but sometimes!
Did you miss Quicksilver when you switched to Alfred? Or did you think "this is better - what was I holding out for?"
It's true I mostly use QS as a file picker/launcher, but I use the calculator every day (I see Alfred has that too), search contacts, find then quick-look files. I rarely use things like "run after delay" these days, but 'large type' or 'speak text' is occasionally useful, or resizing images. I guess I rarely use those features ... but sometimes!
You think that Bartender for Mac is overpriced at $15? Isn't the developer worthy of making a profit? And Bartender offers completely different functionality from iStat Menus... or Unclutter or Amphetamine.
I am completely in favor of developers making a profit, I even hate AdBlock because it prevents content creators from making the money they deserve, but I still feel $15 is overpriced for the little that Bartender does. And I know iStat Menu is completely different, I should've clarified I was specifically referring to the "Combined" option in iStat Menu. If you use iStat Menu for all of it's features and then use the Combined option on top of that (which would hide it all just like Bartender), then I feel you're getting way more bang for your buck than Bartender while also saving $5, so that's what I meant by that.
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Yes Bartender and iStat Menu serve completely different purposes, I should've clarified, I was referring specifically to iStat Menu's "Combined" option. I feel like if you use iStat Menu for all of it's features, including replacing the Calendar, Clock, Battery etc and then turn on Combined and hide it all just like Bartender, you're now getting way more bang for your buck while also saving $5. I just feel like iStat Menu is a better value, that's what I meant by that.
And I agree about Supertab and OnyX, I use to be a big user of Onyx back in the day.
You're entitled to your opinion. I paid $15 for Bartender on 02/08/2013... that's 1,817 days ago... so do the math... it's about $0.0082 per day for this app... and the price will continue to go down, as time goes by. It's like buying two fancy coffee drinks for Starbucks and nursing them along for almost 5 years...
It's been a long time since I used QS but AFAIK Alfred can do more things since it can be extended with workflows. These workflows can contain anything from calling a URL to running some Python script.
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I'm a developer and I also think it's overpriced, but maybe it's simply because I really never needed it. I imagine someone that needs that functionality will gladly pay $15 for it.