How do you launch applications?

[Steve-M]

I made a alias folder for most frequently used apps, and use that as a stack in the dock.

Question: Seeing that a lot of people use spotlight, do you normally take the time to click on spotlight, or is there a keyboard shortcut to speed things up?

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Quicksilver or Dock.

 

[sammich]

Dock and Spotlight mostly. I had Butler for universal keyboard shortcuts for really common apps (iTunes/Safari/Terminal). A few of the apps I keep in the dock are the ones that I might want to drag stuff onto, like VLC/Quicktime, TextMate.

I wanted to use QS, but I just couldn't get it set up the way I wanted. Maybe again in the future with some spare brainspace.

For me Spotlight is way to slow, more-so when it gets a bigger index. QuickSilver is my choice, it's just so fast, often quicker than checking if the app is in my dock!

Mine was dead slow until I accidentally rebuilt my Spotlight index with OnyX. After that I could launch any app as fast as I can type the first three letters of the app I want.

 

[yoyo5280]

Quicksilver or Dock.

Same, but my quicksilver is linked to command_space rather than spotlight

 

[SkyBell]

Am I the only one that actually goes to the application folder and click the app?

I can't always remember the names of applications, especially the ones that I don't use a lot. I only recognize them by their icons.

For those frequently used applications, I put them on dock.

No need for QS or spotlight.

Same here. Most everything I use is on the dock. If not, I just hit the HD icon (which I also have in my dock for this reason) and click the applications folder.

 

[JML42691]

Other: Dock...

With the exception of one or two apps every week or so, every app that I launch is on my dock. I only have the apps that I need on it, and when I need to open an App that isn't on my dock then I open the Applications folder (which is also on the dock) in grid mode and select it from there.

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

Question: Seeing that a lot of people use spotlight, do you normally take the time to click on spotlight, or is there a keyboard shortcut to speed things up?

Cmd+spacebar.

I keep just about everything in the Dock, but occasionally I need Disk Utility, which I open from Spotlight. For most apps, I only recognize them by icon, so if I don't know what I need, I'll open the Applications folder in Finder.

 

[shinji]

launchbar

I use that for opening url's too when I'm in another app or looking something up on wikipedia, etc.

 

[Steve-M]

Cmd+spacebar.

The more I use OS X, the more I like it. Thats pretty handy, Thanks

 

[eVolcre]

The more I use OS X, the more I like it. Thats pretty handy, Thanks

Doesn't work for me. It pages down instead

Cancel that. I had it turned off in System Preferences.

Pretty useful. I think I might be able to replace Quicksilver now

eV

 

[LizKat]

Dock. Or sometimes I'll use "Recent Items" off the Apple menu if it's something I don't keep in the dock but do know that I used recently.

 

[ortuno2k]

The dock is where I keep most of the apps I use and launch on the regular basis - for everything else, there's Spotlight.

 

[Cinder6]

I'm also surprised so many people use Spotlight instead of some other launcher. To each his own, I guess, but I have to wonder if a lot of those Spotlight votes never tried something else.

I tried out LaunchBar earlier today, and while I like how its calculator works, I didn't care for the overall interface, or how you couldn't do more complex commands with it (unless I didn't dig deep enough).

 

[Morod]

Dock.

 

[gusious]

Dock mostly but also from my applications folder stack.

 

[Bennieboy©]

dock mostly, somethings i use spotlight,

whats quicksilver? lol

 

[OldCorpse]

I'm still on Tiger 10.4.11, so...

1)Dock for the most common apps

2)Overflow for the next most common

3)Right-click the Applications folder on the right side of the dock; then select what I need

Works for me. I'm skipping Leopard. But I'll jump on Snow Leopard, probably after the first point release or so... maybe 10.6.1* (or 2, or 3).

 

[MWPULSE]

i use quicksilver-tied to cntl and space. i can to everything from there.. i sometimes use spotlight, but most of the time quicksilver.

 

[applevx]

Quicksilver is good at a lot of thing, only if you like mouse-less.

I tried Quicksilver on my Macbook Pro 2.4Ghz, and found that it makes my cpu running from 5% - 25% frequently. As a launcher, I prefer 0% cpu when I don't use it. So, I have to remove it from my MBP.

Spotlight is slower, but that's all I need.


Hope spotlight better in Snow leopard.

 

[TJMeier]

I use quicksilver all the time, even for stuff I know is on the dock.

 

[smartalic34]

I have my 12-15 most used application in the Dock, and I use an Applications stack for everything else.